Kawhi Leonard will be the first NBA Finals MVP ever, ever, to play for a different team the season after winning a championship.
Paul George, meanwhile, signed a four-year, $137 million contract last summer, as an unrestricted free agent, with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So it was his idea, and his alone, to sign there. Twelve months later, he wanted out.
Indeed, this is a “landmark moment” for the LA Clippers, who formally introduced Leonard and George at a news conference Wednesday. Team president Lawrence Frank called it that; owner Steve Ballmer said the Clippers, with these two on the team, adding to what was already built in L.A., are now in the business of competing for titles. Hard stop.
The Clippers did everything right, from negotiating flawlessly with Leonard to attract him as a free agent, to stockpiling the assets necessary to acquire someone like George in a trade. And then they pulled it off. A remarkable turning point in franchise and NBA…
