TORONTO, ON – JUNE 17: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors holds the MVP trophy during the Toronto Raptors Victory Parade on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. The Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors 4-2 to win the 2019 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Clippers are not pulling any punches and are going all-in to try to recruit Kawhi Leonard to Southern California.
Kawhi Leonard is the undisputed King of the North right now. That’s what bringing an NBA championship to Canada can do for a superstar.
However, the Clippers are hoping he’ll want to be the “King of SoCal.”
Two digital billboards about 10 miles from the Staples Center have made it clear the Clippers are going all-in to lure Leonard out of Toronto and to L.A.
According to ESPN, the Clippers are unaware of the billboards going up.
Before he supplanted LeBron James as the King of the NBA (yes, I said it!), Balmer made Leonard his top priority when free agency opens for business on June 30. Then, Leonard’s current team, the Toronto Raptors, won it all, which may have changed his perspective on playing in Toronto.
According to numerous reports, Leonard is “seriously” considering re-upping with the Raptors, and Balmer’s once-easy road to bringing him to Los Angeles hit a snag. It’s not clear as to whether or not the Clippers brought the ads prior to the news of Leonard potentially staying in Canada breaking, but the time was now to pull out all the stops.
Going to the Clippers makes a ton of sense for Leonard. It’s his home, first of all, and the Clippers have the same infrastructure as the Raptors, albeit with a better sixth man in Lou Williams. As an added bonus, he can upstage the player that was the King of the NBA right in his own arena.
How’s that for work perks?
This free agency period is going to be a dandy one indeed.