During Kawhi Leonard’s week-long decision to eventually sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and all parties involved stayed quiet.
While there were not many leaks during this process, former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson revealed Leonard’s camp did reach out to him regarding the Lakers.
As Johnson provided more details about his meeting with Leonard’s camp, there were concerns about how it would impact the latter considering how he operates.
Now, a person involved in the Leonard process believes Johnson hurt the team’s chances of signing Leonard, according to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic:
“I truly believe that when Magic started telling the media about the meeting he had with Kawhi and Dennis, that sealed the fate of the Lakers,” a person involved in the process told The Athletic.