Steve Ballmer’s ‘Disrespect’ Came as No Surprise to Kawhi Leonard as Paul George’s Exit Fails to Rattle 2x Champ

Kawhi Leonard seemed totally unmoved by Paul George’s exit. The 9x NBA All-Star’s trade to the Philadelphia 76ers became the biggest talking point of this off-season. PG left the LA Clippers union after his 5-year stint alongside the Klaw. Moreover, George even expressed how he felt disrespected when the Clips’ owner, Steve Ballmer, failed to offer the star an enticing extension. However, unfazed by all of that, the Terminator finally broke his silence to the press.

Leonard literally disappeared from the NBA world during the off-season. He returned to the spotlight again because of Team USA’s training camp for the Paris Olympics. In the latest interaction with the press, a reporter asked him about his life at the Clippers after PG’s exit. The star simmered all the speculations going around, saying, “I mean, we knew what it was before the season. We knew what it was going to come down to. We talked the whole way through, so it’s no surprise.”

Moreover, the star further doubled it down when another reporter asked about the pressure that would fall on him after George’s exit. Kawhi Leonard, again with his typical straight face, said, “How much will be on me to lead the team? The same like it was last year. It don’t change.” 

One of the interesting factors about Claw’s response is that he played it cool even though PG revealed the actual story behind his exit.

Speaking in the latest episode of his podcast, Paul George said, “I never wanted to leave LA. LA is home… Like the first initial deal was, I thought, kind of disrespectful. Again, in all of this, no hard feelings. So the first initial deal was like two-year $60 million. So I’m like, ‘That’s crazy’. I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m not signing that.” The star even suggested that the front office could’ve matched Leonard’s offer to make him stay in LA.

Kawhi’s alternate reality with Paul George in Toronto

After winning the 2019 NBA Finals for the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard was on top of the world. He decided to form a super union with Paul George after that and both headed to the LA Clippers. In 2021, the duo even signed a four-year contract for the same value ($176 million). While Leonard re-signed a $149 million extension for another three years ahead of this off-season, George couldn’t get a similar contract this time. Instead, the team offered him a $60 million extension for 2 years.

This “disrespectful” offer ultimately forced the star forward out of the fold. Importantly, PG recently revealed that the duo would’ve ended up in Toronto if not for the Clippers in his recent podcast. He revealed, “Me and him was just working on how could we make this happen? I was close to going to Toronto… We were deciding to go to Toronto or the Clippers. Ultimately, Clippers put something better, a better trade package together that sent me to LA.”

“But I was close, he was going to re-sign to Toronto and we was gonna go to Toronto.” Nevertheless, the 5-year stint much-anticipated stint between PG and Leonard came to an without making much of a dent in the trophy cabinet. Will PG’s latest union with Joel Embiid fetch him a ring? Let us know in the comments below.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.