AP Photo/Ben Margot
- Kawhi Leonard joined the Clippers in a blockbuster deal late Friday night.
- Fans who had been eagerly awaiting Leonard's decision woke up confused and disoriented by the
news , which broke in the middle of the night. - The Clippers also sent a record-setting bounty of picks to the Thunder to trade for Paul George, who will join Leonard in Los Angeles.
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Kawhi Leonard has made his decision.
In a late-night, blockbuster move on Friday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard would be leaving the Raptors, spurning the Lakers, and shocking the NBA world with his decision to join the Los Angeles Clippers on a four-year, $142 million max contract.
The move did not come cheap for the Clippers, as the team traded a record-setting bounty of picks away to the Thunder in exchange for Paul George, but between the two players, Los Angeles put together one of the most formidable pairs in the NBA and instantly became contenders to win the 2020 title.
For NBA fans, the news was stunning. The Lakers had gained momentum in recent days according to fans following the rumor mill on Twitter, with numerous reports putting the Clippers in third in the race to sign Kawhi Leonard.
But on Friday, Leonard put all the rumors to rest, joining the Clippers in a move that once again reshapes the NBA landscape.
Fans who had been following all of the action of NBA free agency had been waiting for Leonard to make his decision for some time, and waking up to the news on Saturday morning came as quite a shock to many.
With Leonard's decision made, the biggest players in free agency have all found their new teams, setting up the race for the 2020 title as one of the most exciting the sport has ever seen.
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Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard has informed runners-up teams of his plans: He's signing with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.
- Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
rt if you slept through kawhi news and are confused how paul george also got to the clippers
- SB Nation (@SBNation) July 6, 2019
So guys I woke up to this Kawhi/Clippers news and I don't know how it was received on your end but I am over here laughing my head off
- Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 6, 2019
Woke up to get water at 4:30AM and peeped at my phone to the Kawhi/PG news like: pic.twitter.com/4shzBExKbl
- Jacksel Pujols (@Jackselp) July 6, 2019
Just woke up to the Kawhi news and I can't believe I had the audacity to fall asleep during free agency
- Kristen Balboni (@KristenBalboni) July 6, 2019
Woke up to PG and Kawhi on the Clippers pic.twitter.com/ZdxgLHhuGY
- Danny⚡️ (@PrimeLebron_23) July 6, 2019
Waking up and seeing the Kawhi Woj bomb dropped in the middle of the night pic.twitter.com/sjU5UZLn97
- Conor the Mick (@TheNJMick) July 6, 2019
From what I can gather, sometime in the middle of the night Kawhi signed with the Clippers and caused an earthquake in California
Did I get that right?
- Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) July 6, 2019