Did the Los Angeles Clippers Just Save the Entire NBA?

The Clippers landed Kawhi Leonard and kept him off the Lakers. Did that move just save the entire NBA?

THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH THE NBA last weekend when they added two superstar wings literally overnight, signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George. And so ended a wild week-long Kawhi Watch in the craziest NBA free agency on record, with not one but two final exclamation marks.

All week, fans frantically checked phones for updates as the Toronto Raptors battled both Los Angeles franchises for Kawhi’s signature, with the Lakers reportedly the favorite and the Clippers a distant third. But no one really knew how Kawhi was leaning, and in the end, his decision shocked the NBA and had seismic effects around the league.

It may have even saved the entire NBA.

Okay, well, maybe not the entire NBA.

Two teams are obvious losers here: the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. Both hoped to secure Kawhi’s signature and instead walked away with nothing. Toronto is hardly a loser though, and the Larry O’Brien trophy is a lot more than nothing. The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions, and flags fly forever. Even optimistic Raps fans didn’t expect Kawhi to stick around forever, knowing the rebuild was coming sooner or later. It hurts to move on this early, but memories last a lifetime.

The Lakers, though, were all-in on Kawhi. And sure, the Lakers have plenty of rings to their name, but they’re always pursuing #17 and haven’t even made the playoffs in six seasons. Last year was supposed to be different. LeBron James came, and everything was supposed to change. But it didn’t. LeBron was still very good, but the supporting cast wasn’t. The kids didn’t step up, the team couldn’t shoot or play much defense, and the players didn’t develop much chemistry. LeBron’s groin injury was the nail in the coffin, but the season was already lost.

This summer everything was going to be different, again.

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