“We Had A Chance”- Lakers Head Coach Recalls Chasing LA Clippers Star Kawhi Leonard in Off-Season

The Lakers had a rough run this season. After being counted out the entire year in favor of teams like the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship. Despite people trying to discredit this title, the larger consensus agrees that this was one of the hardest championship wins in NBA history.

One of the things that would have made this season a foregone conclusion was if Kawhi Leonard chose the Lakers over the LA Clippers. Despite attempts to trade for him in the past, LA had their best chance at getting Kawhi last off-season. However, he turned the Lakers down to go join the Clippers. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel spoke about the pursuit of Kawhi to Zach Lowe on ‘The Lowe Post‘.

“Of course. We thought we had a strong chance of getting Kawhi. There was a long stretch leading up to July 1st and that first week where we felt like this could happen. What that team would look like. Obviously, we were pretty good without him, so if we were to have him, it would’ve been special. But we did believe we had a chance.”

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If Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis were to be on the same team, the NBA wouldn’t even be competitive. This would be a team even stronger than the Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors. This would have had the potential of a dynasty.

These are three of the five best players in the league, along with Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Both men were injured this season, so one could see how Kawhi joining the Lakers would have killed the league.

Instead, him joining the Clippers provided its own set of entertainment. From the Paul George trade to their playoff collapse, the Clippers went through a lot this season. Even though Kawhi couldn’t win another championship, you can’t say he regrets joining the Clippers. After all, he has a chance to come back for the throne next season.