Kawhi Leonard's Wild Requirements to Sign With Lakers Revealed

The Los Angeles Lakers tried to sign Kawhi Leonard back when he was a free agent following the 2019 season. Leonard was coming off a championship with the Toronto Raptors and looking for a new home.

Leonard was the most sought-after free agent in that class. Several teams were looking to bring him in, as he had proven he could carry a team to a title at that point.

The Lakers were one of the teams in a position to sign him, but he ultimately decided to sign with the crosstown Clippers. Looking at the demands he had for the Lakers, it's understandable why the Lakers passed.

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Wild Requirements For The Lakers to Sign Kawhi Leonard Have Been Revealed

Leonard had some wild demands from the Lakers. These demands were laid out in a piece by Dan Woike, Sam Amick, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

"Leonard didn’t just want a max deal. He wanted unlimited access to a private plane, a house and guaranteed off-court earnings from endorsements, The Athletic previously reported. He also wanted a slice of the team itself — just like the Lakers had given Magic Johnson 25 years earlier after HIV forced him into early retirement."

Uncle Dennis, who is Leonard's handler, was just trying to demand absolutely wild things, but the Lakers were not interested in doing any of them.

"The asks — all considered circumvention of the salary cap in the eyes of the NBA — were turned down by the team."

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The Lakers Essentially Told Uncle Dennis to Take a Hike

The Lakers ended up laughing in Uncle Dennis' face, telling him they were not going to give them any of the things he demanded.

"The Lakers repeatedly told Robertson that his requests were against the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Outside of the negotiations, team sources said, the Lakers laughed at Robertson’s audacity. And to Robertson himself, team president Jeanie Buss underscored the outrageousness of the requests by saying he should attempt to get other teams to agree to his terms in writing."

Clearly, the Lakers were not interested in anything that Leonard's uncle wanted. The Clippers must have been, because he ended up signing with them instead.

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