Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had things planned out all along. The 2019 NBA free agency was a wild one, and millions of basketball fans around the world waited patiently for some of the biggest stars in the game to announce their new homes. Leonard's decision was the most publicized since the talented forward lead the Toronto Raptors to their first championship. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Leonard and George had discussed playing together in Los Angeles long before free agency opened. The claim has analysts around the league worried about tampering.
Wojnarowski stated that George's agent had gone to OKC to request a trade to the Clippers because of George's yearning to play with Leonard. The request reportedly took place prior to June 30, which suggests Leonard had already made up his mind about joining the Clippers before officially entering free agency. "The idea that Kawhi Leonard first introduced the idea of trading for Paul George in his meeting with the Clippers, from a list, we know that days before free agency started ... Kawhi and Paul George were talking,” Wojnarowski revealed on The Woj Pod. "Paul George’s agent went to Oklahoma City prior to the start of free agency and said, 'Paul would like to be traded to the Clippers. He wants to play with Kawhi.' But, at that point, Kawhi wasn’t allowed to be talking with the Clippers. They couldn’t officially have contact with him [until free agency started]."
