Superstar Lakers Rival Almost Joined LA In Free Agency: Report

Oct 28, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA: LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the basketball over Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers just barely missed out on bringing in a major All-Star during a recent free agency bid.

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After pulling off a blockbuster trade for now-10-time All-Star center/power forward Anthony Davis during the 2019 offseason to align him with now-21-time All-NBA forward LeBron James, the Lakers had enough cap room to sign a third future Hall of Famer.

The Lakers nearly signed native Angeleno Kawhi Leonard in free agency that summer, per NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson.

The 6-foot-7 two-time Finals MVP instead signed a maximum deal with his other hometown squad, the LA Clippers. He also compelled Paul George to demand a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder — a trade that the Clippers would come to regret. They included a promising then-second-year point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of draft picks in the deal. Oops.

The Lakers' Luck Post-Leonard

Everything worked out fine for James and Davis, however. The Lakers front office pivoted, inking free agents Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Jared Dudley, and Troy Daniels. The Lakers went on to win the title that season, while the Clippers blew a 3-1 second-round playoff series lead to the Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles returned to the Western Conference Finals for a second time with its James-Davis core, in 2023, but didn't win a title again with that dynamic duo at the helm. The Clippers have only advanced to a single West Finals during Leonard's tenure.

The San Diego State product has now been with the Clippers for seven seasons (although he sat out the entirety of 2021-22 with an injury). Health has been a frequent issue. Leonard has only played in more than 57 games just once during that stretch, and has only survived the playoffs healthy twice.

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In 21 games for the 10-21 Clippers thus far, Leonard has been his typically efficient self on offense, averaging 27.5 points on elite .495/.375/.976 shooting splits. Leonard has also been chipping in 6.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per bout.

Still, he has been at the forefront of a recent run of good luck for the Clippers. The team has won its last four straight games, and Leonard was recently named the West's Player of the Week for his efforts in those contests.

The Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and the Celtics' Jaylen Brown were just named Western and Eastern Conference Player of the Week: pic.twitter.com/6fQ2cdcZ5l

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 29, 2025

During LA's three wins last week, Leonard posted averages of 41.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 swipes a night, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.