The Los Angeles Clippers made a massive trade early Saturday morning for Paul George, and they’re also now expected to sign Kawhi Leonard.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers traded five first picks and more to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Paul George. (RELATED: Kevin Durant Will Sign With The Brooklyn Nets For $164 Million, Kyrie Irving Will Get $141 Million)
The Clippers are sending the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps, league sources tell ESPN. Those picks go to OKC with Gallinari and SGA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Leonard, who just won a title with the Raptors, is now expected to sign a four-year deal worth $142 million and will team up with George in a Clippers uniform after weeks of speculation. Wojnarowski also reported that the entire deal with the Clippers hinged on them securing Paul George, which was accomplished a few hours ago.
Sources: As expected, Kawhi Leonard: four-year, $142M maximum contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
As of this moment, the Clippers haven’t publicly acknowledge the trade or the Kawhi signing on any of their social media.
View this post on Instagram
What an absolutely wild situation. After looking like it was either the Lakers or the Raptors for Kawhi, he turns around and reaches a reported deal with the Clippers.
The entire journey with him in free agency has been unreal, and now we have our answer as to where he’ll play next.
There’s no timetable for when this will become official, but I imagine that’ll happen at some point today. What a crazy time for the NBA and fans of the league. I had the Clippers as a distant third on the list of options, and I certainly didn’t expect them to trade for Paul George. What a wild situation.