Before signing up with the Los Angeles Clippers, rumors were rife that from the Toronto Raptors Kawhi Leonard is making a jump to the LA Lakers. But Season 2019-20 of the NBA will open, and Leonard will not be in Purple & Gold, which is, in fact, a good thing for the league.
That was the observation offered by shooting guard CJ McCollum, whose free agency journey last summer netted him a hefty $100 million extension courtesy of the Portland Trailblazers, per the report by sports blog site TalkBasket.net.
In a recent interview, McCollum said the Lakers missing on the chance to recruit Leonard would prove a blessing for most NBA teams. More of them will have a fighting chance to win a crown now that Leonard, who last season led the Raptors to a successful championship campaign against the Golden State Warriors, ended up with the Lakers' rival ball club in Los Angeles.
According to McCollum, Leonard, as a Laker is like the team, is ready to wage war, and they will prove to be the juggernaut. Virtually, the Lakers will be invincible and tough to beat with Leonard adding muscle to the already formidable tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
"I was looking at the roster, I was looking at what they were putting together, and you want to be in a position to win championships and to make runs and looking at that roster, they would've been a serious problem. You got LeBron... already a problem, you got AD... a super problem, and you add him and it becomes a World War II-type situation," the Lakers Nation reported McCollum as saying.
He added Leonard skipping on the Lakers was a relief. It will be like the team will be handed grenades and atomic bomb with Leonard on the roster, which obviously will create an unbalanced environment in the league.
"That's good, at least he didn't go to the Lakers," McCollum said was his immediate reaction when he learned of the news that Leonard went to the way of the Clippers.
The insight from McCollum makes full sense as basketball experts are in agreement that James, Davis, and Leonard headlining for the Lakers could prove historic. It will be a triumvirate to reckon with and likely the most potent collaboration that the NBA will witness.
The dream partnership, however, failed to materialize as Leonard made a call that defied the popular clamor from Los Angeles fans.
Thankfully, Leonard's move resulted in a more exciting 2019-20 Season, and more teams are in serious contention to make the Finals unlike in the past few years.
