Raptors almost had Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in 2019: ‘We was going to go to Toronto,’ says 76ers star | Sporting News Canada

Raptors fans struggling through the rebuilding era may want to turn a blind eye to this one.

At the start of free agency, star forward Paul George agreed to a sign-and-trade with the 76ers, ending his five-year tenure with the Clippers.

George landed in Los Angeles in the summer of 2019, joining forces with superstar teammate Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard was fresh off leading Toronto to its first-ever NBA title, and George was at the peak of his career, finishing as a finalist for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. Leonard’s unrestricted free agency was the biggest story of the summer, reaching stalker-level coverage throughout Canada as Raptors fans tracked his every move, meeting, and flight.

Toronto’s hopes of a repeat were crushed on July 6, 2019. Leonard ultimately settled on the Clippers as his next destination, and Los Angeles immediately orchestrated a sign-and-trade with the Thunder to pair the 2019 Finals MVP with George.

George reflected on the story that brought him and Leonard to Los Angeles on “Podcast P with Paul George,” revealing that the duo nearly ended up in Toronto instead.

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Raptors almost landed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in 2019

George was asked about the conversations that led to him and Leonard ending up on the Clippers in the summer of 2019. The newly minted 76ers star revealed that the tandem was choosing between Los Angeles and Toronto.

“I was close to going to Toronto,” George began.

“We was deciding to go to Toronto or the Clippers. Ultimately, the Clippers put a better trade package together that sent me to LA. But I was close. He was gon’ re-sign to Toronto and we was going to go to Toronto.”

In hindsight, it’s hard to blame Oklahoma City’s decision to choose the Clippers’ trade package. Regardless of what the Raptors offered, LA’s haul for George looks more like a heist as years go by.

The Thunder landed future MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps for George. The deal set the table for Oklahoma City’s promising young roster that earned the No. 1 seed in the West only five years after the trade.

George went on to describe the conversations he had with Leonard that led to the decision to team up, including a meeting at Drake’s house in Los Angeles.

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“Yeah, there is,” George said when asked if there was any truth to meeting Leonard at Drake’s.

“We linked up. Drake’s crib, when he was in Hidden Hills, at the time, I was living in Hidden Hills. Drake was probably, like, five minutes around the corner from me. Kawhi was like, ‘Pull up. Let’s chop it up.’

“So I pulled up. We chopped it up, what it would look like, how it would happen if there was even a chance [of teaming up]. … That was kinda the next phase of us linking up and talking that through.”

George confirmed that Drake — the Raptors’ Global Ambassador — was not present for the meeting with Leonard, though.

“… Drake actually was out of town. I was like, ‘Oh s—, Drake’s over there, too? I’ll kick it with both of y’all. But Drizzy wasn’t there.”

As they say, the rest is history. 

The Raptors have only made the playoffs twice since Leonard’s departure, but the Clippers haven’t experienced much more success.

Despite having championship expectations, Los Angeles had one Conference Finals appearance, one Conference Semifinals appearance, and two first-round exits to show for the Leonard and George era.

We’ll leave it up to your imagination on how things could have played out if the two teamed up in Toronto instead.