Putting four All-Star veterans on the one team was always going to be a gamble and Kawhi and James Harden have spoken honestly about the impact of PG-13 going to Philly and Russ landing in Denver.
For Kawhi, he hasn’t known life at the Clippers without his running mate George, since they both arrived in LA in 2019.
When asked how George’s absence would impact him, Leonard was very candid with his answer.
“I mean, obviously he made things easier on the court,” Leonard said. “But as far as my mental focus going into the game, I don’t feel like it’s gonna be harder for me personally.”
Kawhi continued, “I don’t look at him to be my savior. I take in my own role and my challenges that I have to face each and every game and, you know, go in there and try to dominate the game. So, with that being said, my mindset is going to change in that way.”
Harden was also pretty honest in speaking about the departure of George and Westbrook, and admitted it was hard to accommodate all four stars on the one team.
“Aggressive. Aggressive,” Harden said. “We tried last year to where, you know trying figure it out and guys and their roles. It’s kind of difficult when you got high caliber players or Hall of Famers and basically the same position, everyone trying to figure their roles out. It was pretty difficult, but this year for me I got a clear space for what I need to be doing.”
Paul George signed with the 76ers as a free agent, meaning the Clippers ultimately elected to let him walk for nothing. Steve Ballmer explained that the NBA’s new salary cap restrictions had the team a little hamstrung.
But, considering LAC traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks, plus two swaps going to Oklahoma City for George in 2019, it’s crazy to think they’re still paying the price today.