Dylan Hernandez: Kawhi Leonard played NBA's free-agency game to perfection
LOS ANGELES - He did more than secure a backup option in case the Clippers failed to complete the trade for Paul George that he set in motion.
By forcing the Lakers to wait for him to decide where he would play next season, Kawhi Leonard made certain he was the only other superstar they possibly could land.
In retrospect, what Leonard did was construct his own team while preventing the soon-to-be-rival Lakers from building theirs.
The ramifications became evident soon after the Clippers reached agreements conveyed the magnitude of the disaster for Rob Pelinka simply by stating the facts: "Lakers miss out on Kawhi Leonard but will sign Danny Green, KCP."
