Kawhi Leonard on the James Harden trade rumors: “It’s a surprise… Respect his decision. Or whoever’s decision it is. That’s still gonna be my boy. Trust the front office.”
He gone
Nah, we should all aspire to be as loyal as Kawhi
Like a tree planted in the woods but there’s nobody there to see it. Does that loyalty exist?
Ask Kawhis bank account if it exists
I mean, at least he got the job done in Toronto
He wasn’t able to lay any roots there though.
Even though it was fertile ground
He told his teammates from the beginning he was just there for the season.
Wow and to think I believed he turned a new leaf!
Aspiration
Kawhi would join a team of 14 year olds with down syndrome, while his coaches verbally abuse him and practices in a Denny’s parking lot if it meant he can make millions playing basketball in southern Cali. He’s never leaving he left a super team in Toronto to join the G-league Clippers
Wait we’re calling that Toronto team a “superteam” now? Also I’m no fan of Paul George and think he’s been overrated basically forever but I’d not really call him a G-league player
That Toronto team had 6 players who made an all-star team at some point and 3 players who have made an all defense team. Obviously that wasn’t all the in the same year and there have been way better teams but that’s a pretty elite team. Not many teams in history have had a team with those kind of accomplishments!
While they were good players still, Siakam, FVV, Powell were not nearly as good as they are now, thats when they were really young. Lowry was still an all star but lost a step and Gasol was just a role player at that point
FVV got a finals MVP vote, which is arguably rarer than any all-star selection.
Gasol was just a role player at that point
That’s some revisionist shit right there. Gasol was the piece that made the whole thing work, especially defensively. If we didn’t trade out JV, I’m not sure we would have made it out of the Sixers series.
Yes Raptors were great and didn’t even show their real potential because OG got injured. They had an even better record the year after Kawhi left and players like FVV, Siakam and Powell were only getting better
That Toronto team is so underrated because the Warriors got hurt, if they stuck together for a full season I honestly think they would’ve gone back to back.
They were still in good enough form the following year to potentially make the finals but the pandemic really screwed that roster. They were 1st or 2nd seed before the pandemic.
But Canada had stricter lockdown rules than the US and Siakam was locked in his apartment for like 4 months and then played like shit in the bubble - yet they still managed to take the Celtics to 7 games
OG didnt even play in the playoffs
The Raptors were not a superteam. The Heatles, KD Warriors and ‘08 Celtics were superteams. It’s about a concentration of star or superstar players, near or at their peak abilities. On the Raptors Kawhi was a superstar player, Lowry was a fadiing star player and Siakam had just broken out, winning the most improved player of the year award, everyone else around them were role players at the time. Years into the future when the players on that team had fleshed out their game and years of experience they got better. But players like OG are not the same player now as he was in Toronto, or Norman Powell or Fred VanVleet. Marc Gasol was literally on his last legs and Ibaka was also a role player
Calling the Raptors a super team 🙄😂
“super team”
people be saying anything these days lmao and get upvotes for it
u think kahwi is leaving?
It depends on what aspirations he has for the rest of his career
He’s planting the seeds for his next move
Yup whatever his dreams and aspirations are, I know he’ll follow his heart and be okay
And here I thought the whole point of joining LA was for Kawhi to go back to his roots
The exact same joke happens twice under the same parent comment and you guys really think this is the pinnacle of wit… lol
I’m gonna miss James
You’re going to miss Kawhi too.
Maybe we should all plant trees to honor them.
Not too soon, but too expensive
Right? Its like 12m for 0 trees, I cant even imagine how much 1 tree costs at this rate!
You’re not lying. Each tree is like $35M to plant!!
Kawhi’s trade value is currently as high as it’ll ever be. Clippers should just sell high.
He’s probably about to be suspended or banned of Adam Silver had a spine
Nah, NBA is hoping most people forgot about that, no way they are going to punish the richest owner in sports
was livid the other night when espn was talking about him getting snubbed from an all star spot like it was some injustice and not people remembering that the motherfucker and the team he’s on are a bunch of fucking cheaters that need to start getting the same level of hate that the astros get
And the fact Leonard is 12th and 13th in players and coaches voting, so it’s not a snub when dudes don’t think he is deserving
We should aspire to be better
We should all be weary of our carbon footprint and let a ponzi company do the brunt work of planting the invisible trees.
Harden just wants to lay his seeds else where
this clippers team has been fun to watch. going to miss watching this group play
It’s been a blast man
LL Cool J
no moradis u/Legal-Maize-2784
no moradis… chickentown
Khawi “I don’t even know how they pay me” Leonard
UhhHuuuaaahhhhh
Are they going to trade Kawhi too?
Idk what team would want to trade for a guy that’s about to be suspended for 82 games
If as part of the suspension you don’t have to pay his salary, some teams may treat that trade as a salary dump.
Pump and dump ohhh yeahhh
Is he actually going to be suspended
They’ll just “investigate” the matter until everyone forgets
Lol they got a premier law firm doing the work. They will produce findings, whether we like the outcome or not. That’s how they get paid
If this is anything like auditor firms they’re paid a lot of money specifically to say everything’s above board
Yeah no lol he ain’t getting suspended
Unless you’re Adam silver and/or the team of investigators I have no idea how you would know this lol. The evidence seems pretty damning since he was literally only a sponsor on paper and never did any publicity, but who knows
Imagine ur the Celtics or pacers one year in advance… if you have a bye season and get kawhi at his lowest, that sounds perfect
There’s no shot he gets suspended lol
that comment reads like a pro NBA bot account. “Don’t worry! they’ll investigate and find out everything!”
the spineless bastards at the NBA aren’t gonna do shit
Clippers receive: A big fine
Riverside, California receive: Another sketchy multi-millionaire who won’t spend any money
Not a chance in hell any team offers up what the clippers would want
My dream
Why would the clippers do this? Haven’t they been like the best team since late December
He wants them to promise him more money, they said no
Honestly, hardens the GOAT employee, pure exchange of labor for money.
But when get gets paid he plays hard. It’s a fair exchange
He’s played through injury several times and he plays hard and he’s durable. Yeah, he’s old, but he hasn’t declined much at all
He definitely has, but declining a lot from peak harden is still a borderline all NBA guy
Both Curry and Harden’s games of shooting have allowed them to age well in their later careers
And Durant. It’s amazing how many guys are still putting up the numbers they do post 35 years of age.
With Harden, I’d argue that it’s more his ability to get to the line and his elite playmaking abilities. His shooting numbers are nothing special.
I agree his shooting numbers have been “nothing special” (obviously in context, we’re talking about all-time elite MVP type scorers here) even across his career, but his actual shooting has been, at least in my opinion. We gotta keep in mind that this dude spent his entire peak shooting mostly pull-ups in ISO with an average of 2 people draped on him. His shooting efficiency is fucking insane in that context. Obviously he won’t be outpacing the percentages of elite catch-and-shoot snipers when playing like that, but he still them at an impressive clip.
Also, he peaked at the same time as the all-time goated, absolutely unfuckwithable god of shooting Steph, who skews the whole curve so hard that it’s more of a… dunno, a ribbon? A streamer? A piece of overcooked linguini?
Honestly, all good points you make here. Kinda to your point, Harden also does shoot a lot of “bail out” shots at the end of the clock so that brings his percentages down
he’s an elite shooter, he can pull out a league average 3pt attempt at will with no help, and has one of the toughest shot diets of any player. step back 3s were a benchable crime before him
Reports that harden wanted 80 mil for next 2 years and clippers.said no
He’s still balling but that is a lotta cheese for a guy his age
Considering he keeps having to essentially keep them afloat solo for long stretches, it doesn’t seem like an unreasonable ask
Yeah, 40/m a year isn’t bad when you consider dame is at 68, Beal is at 59, PG is at 51, Lavine at 48, Trae is at 46, Ayton at 43, etc.
I thought those were their exaggerated ages
This is hilarious, btw
It’s fair to compare, though I’d say pretty much all of those contracts are considered straight up garbage so I’m not sure that works in his favor lmao.
Yeah but in two season theyre paying Harden and Kawhi how much money? Thats a lot of faith that they’re still able to play elite level ball
Just give him the mid level and be the spokesman for another tree company
might be driven by upcoming contract discussions
They probably want to clear everything by the end of 2027
What for? No pick in 2026. Okc will swap their late 1st for the clippers pick in 2027, no 1st in 2028 and then its a gamble on the 76ers sucking slightly more than the clippers in 2029 cause 76ers own that swap.
Clippers are fucked for the next 4 seasons anyway. Which makes the decision to not pay harden dumb.
Great point, makes everything more confusing
I suspect that the the Clippers might use 2027 as a tank year and pick up a bunch of shitty contracts from teams trying to offload them in exchange for picks, then have a clean slate in 2028-2030.
they’ve publicly said they want to clear up for 2027-28, it’s why they traded powell as well
Kawhi suspension.
Harden has the worst luck. Reminds me of when Kyrie was suspended and Harden wanted out of Brooklyn
Harden wants an extension.
Selling high if Kawhi is made to personally plant 1 tree for every dollar he was paid circumventing the cap.
Instructions unclear, Kawhi began smoking 1 tree for every dollar he was paid by respirations to circumvent the dab
I think the actual problem is Bradley Beal. They messed up their fluidity for stars they think will fill seats in their new stadium. I think one of their biggest mistakes was trading Norman Powell.
He showed in the playoffs that he wasn’t that guy
Suspensions and fines are coming
If harden exercises his player option he can walk away for nothing this offseason, why not get a young star before commiting to a rebuild?
It benefits Harden to get traded instead of opting out as well. If he’s looking for \(40M/yr, then he has a better chance of getting it via his Bird Rights. Not too many teams with \)40M in cap space while being a good destination. Find a team that’s willing to extend him another two years and retire in 2029.
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 I’m gonna miss you JH. Clippers fans will never forget what you did for us ☹️😭💔
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ – I agree with the second part…..
I saw that movie, I thought it was bullshit.
r/nba MODS…. you’re… looking…. faw….. me……
It’s so weird how a fan base can have this sentiment and also say they hate him
And then the same thing can be said for like 2 other teams
No Rockets, Nets, Sixers, or Clippers fan hates Harden. He busts his ass out there. People respect the hustle
Not a single clippers fan hates him lol
Bro just straight up said it’s Harden’s decision but tried to backtrack lmao
Sounds like a pretty typical sound bite from Kawhi lol I don’t think he was saying much of anything he usually isn’t
I don’t know, I think he’s kind of going through his rolodex of responses and just kind of picks one that sounds ok for the given input. I don’t think he really understands the implication of what he’s saying.
Nah this is the Kawhi version of “I’m happy for you, or sad, whichever.”
he’s leaving cause you’re about to get banned bro
Nah they’ll either do nothing or wait until the seasons over so the Thunder dont get a lottery pick
Ngl that mite be better for the league
This is disappointing because I’ve found the crazy ass season the Clippers have had to be highly entertaining and I’ve been rooting for them
Welcome to Sacramento James
Harden and Westbrook run it back
For the 4th time 💔
Kawhi to the Warriors since they’re willing to pay the Aspirations fine
But then you have to worry about what to pay uncle Dennis /s
Uncle Dennis = Aspirations’ CEO
“Trust the front office”….that paid me $40m extra!
“Respect his decision- or uh, whoever’s it is” (internal Kawhi laugh)
“Wet ball!”
Alkaline water and lime juice, my guy!
Harden still has greater Aspirations.
Fun fact (or dad fact, not sure)
In French aspiration means to suck, literally. Aspirateur is a vacuum cleaner
Great PR answer while keeping it real
insert Kawhi laugh
Fade me (again x 7)
He definitely gets under the table finances from Ballmer - trust the front office 😂
Trust Microsoft Office he meant
I’m going to the miss uno dos duo 💔💔
Why did Harden ask for a trade? Is there some beef within the LAC organization that is happening?
Apparently he asked for an extension and they declined so now he wants them to move him somewhere that will likely agree to sign and extend him
Ohh thanks for replying.. as i cant think of any reason why he asked for one, as he is doing well in that organization
True
Its a tough situation, I get both sides
Harden is happy there and clearly wanted to retire there since its his hometown team, but he likely wanted at least a sizable 2 to 3 year deal
Clippers like him but know their team is fucked due to the bad start and the PG trade which doomed their future. They figure they’d rather trade him while his stock is high and try to build back. I can see why they wouldn’t want to extend a 36 year old when the team isn’t great with him now.
I’ve stood by Harden like a jilted, cuckolded husband standing by their wife for years as all the slander’s come in. I’ve said I’ve not given up on this guy. You can’t teach the size, the vision, the shooting. I don’t wanna hear it. I’m Harden’s guy!
Sad that Kawhi is going to lose his closest teammate 🥲
Imma trust the front office that funneled millions into my pockets through a secret deal too
All Kawhi cares about is living in LA. Nothing else matters to him.
It’s hard to believe anything he says anymore
who, Kawhi or Harden?
Leonard. James is a straight shooter in more ways than one lol
He looks so surprised!
LA boys
oh man i sure hope eric will be alright after harden goes away
So its almost CP3’s time to shine?
This trade rumor just doesn’t make sense. Clippers are COOKING
He wants one last big extension and Clips aren’t giving him one
“You guys done? I gotta get to my landscaping job”
Harden got tired of waiting for that Aspiration sponsorship deal to come through
Can these teams interested in harden also want Jrue
Kawhi dont give AF. Foo is playing well bc he wants an extension. Please clippers, trade this man next. His value will never be higher
Perhaps Harden has Aspirations to be planting trees in the off season as well. Good for him.
Darius Garland better make sure his feet are up to planting some trees.
Need KD and Kawhi to play together just once .. those two care about nothing other than hooping lol
The guy that has more healthy scratches than any other player in the league the last 10 years only cares about hooping??? Lmfao ok
I mean he has degenerative knees. Not mad at him🤷🏻♂️
this man is not bothered
Everything’s a surprise for Kawhi!
Kawhi is truly aspirational
Yeah Kawhi also said George should go wherever he wants. Way to fight to keep your teammates.
How would he have influenced that?
He already fought to get George on the team remember
PG wanted the same contract Kawhi got and the management said no, it was a hard stop at that point
The relationship was beyond repair then
PG talks about it on his podcast
Nothing Kawhi could have said would have mattered at that point
Anything Kawhi says they do.
Damn that sucks. I have no doubt they woulda won a chip had he stayed for another year or 2
The NBA trade deadline hype just went up, the NFL must be mad they’re stealing the limelight because Giannis, Davis, Morant, Sabonis, Morant, Jackson, and Harden makes for a fun trade deadline.
Kawhis played with some good players but none of the partnerships last very long…this man truly had it made in 2 situations and walked away from both of them
His presence screams all star
His hands are huge lol I forgot about that for a sec
This man is so boring bruh.
Exactly what KD and Kyrie said in Brooklyn.
Sorry I’m trading the fragile load management player Kawhi
He needs to join bron in retirement
Why do we just have these old guy players just floating around the league doing absolutely nothing still? Harden will never win a ring, Durant will never win one on his own. Paul, who else just sort of floats around?
not mentioning Westbrook is a crime
Jealous these old guys have more talent than you did at your peak is hilarious.
Ummm they have more talent then all of us.
Why would anyone trade for a guy who is just going to demand a trade again in a year?
I wonder if he would’ve requested this trade if he wasn’t having such a good season
Bored man gets paid.
“I like trees, the front office likes trees, we got a lot in common, trust bro”
Harden is all about that $$$$$$$ I respect it but damn this could’ve waited till the offseason.
“I thought i was a fun guy” !
Bucks take harden for giannis?
It’s probably in the Clippers best interest to move Harden, Kawhi, and Zubac. They could get quite the haul. Let’s be honest, they’re playing better but they’re not winning anything. Better to move these guys now while they have value.
He don’t give af
Harden does this like every 2 seasons
“I’m happy for you or I’m sorry it happened” was basically the response
Trusts that paycheck, aspirations.
I really hate Kawhi man. His whole innocent “who me? I just hoop” shtick really got old. Forcing his way to LA was bad enough but cheating the league with underhand payments is another level of scummery. I’m glad his knees are made of play dough and I can’t wait for this bum to retire.
Clippers finally found their stride. This is legit like a stab in the heart for someone who’s been following them and rooting for them. Been the best team in the NBA for the past 5 weeks.
Can the Rockets have him back?
You reap what you don’t sow
Kawhi telling Uncle Dennis he’s sitting if they trade Harden.