Los Angeles Clippers’ 107-103 overtime win against Boston Celtics on Wednesday night saw All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard sharing the floor for the first time as teammates. But, as it turns out, George and Leonard could have played together a long time before joining Clippers this summer.
In a recent Ohm Youngmisuk’s recent cover story for ESPN, George revealed that he wanted Indiana Pacers to deal him to San Antonio Spurs in 2017 so he could team up with Leonard.
George informed Pacers in the summer of 2017 that he didn’t intend to resign with the franchise following the expiration of his contract next summer. It was widely presumed that he wanted to join Los Angeles Lakers as his top destination, but according to him Spurs were also high on the list.
“I wanted to be traded to San Antonio,” – said George. “We wanted to go to San Antonio first, and we didn’t make that happen.”
The league sources say that Spurs, in fact, did engage in talks with Pacers, but they lacked assets to make a compelling offer for an All-Star player. Indiana ended up trading George to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.
In their first game as Clippers, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard managed to put on a solid performance. George poured in 25 points to go with 5 assists and 8 rebounds while Leonard added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
