The reason why Kawhi Leonard didn’t sign with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2019 has been reportedly discovered. According to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star, Kawhi didn’t want to play alongside LeBron James.
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Kawhi Leonard didn’t sign with the Lakers in 2019 because he didn’t want to play with LeBron James, per @bruce_arthur
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“The Raptors believed there was a real chance he would return instead of going to the Clippers despite the lure of Leonard’s home state of California. Leonard… pic.twitter.com/XX3zOPYCvx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 9, 2025
“The Raptors believed there was a real chance he would return instead of going to the Clippers despite the lure of Leonard’s home state of California,” Arthur said.
“Leonard didn’t want to play with LeBron James, so the Lakers were a third wheel in the sweepstakes. Jimmy Butler, a preferred partner, was headed to Miami. And Leonard recognized that Toronto was the best basketball situation, all told.”
Kawhi may not have wanted to play alongside LeBron, but other reasons have contributed to why the two-time NBA champion decided to pass on the Lakers. Like the fact the Clippers gave him a $28 million contract for a “no-show job” with Steve Ballmer’s tree-planting company.
