Basketball Basketball Kawhi Leonard free agency rumours: ‘No way’ star was signing with Lakers Leonard ended up inking a max deal with the Clippers after it acquired Paul George from the Thunder. E.Jay Zarett 09 July, 2019 11:48 IST Kawhi Leonard has joined Los Angeles Clippers. - (Getty Images) E.Jay Zarett 09 July, 2019 11:48 IST Kawhi Leonard may never have seriously considered joining the Lakers.There was “no way” the 28-year-old star was signing with the Lakers “despite speculation they were the front-runners,” according to a report from ESPN’s The Undefeated, which cites an unidentified league source.Leonard ended up inking a max deal with the Clippers after they acquired Paul George from the Thunder in exchange for five first-round selections, two pick swaps, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari.The Lakers were pursuing Leonard to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who they added in a blockbuster trade with the Pelicans last month. They went on to sign Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso and Avery Bradley after missing out on Leonard.'Changed a lot of lives'Leonard spent 2018-19 with the Raptors, where he almost single-handedly led the team to the first title in franchise history. "I think you can't blame a guy for wanting to go home," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said last weekend, via ESPN. "That's what he texted me. ... 'I'm going home.' And I just said, 'You've changed a lot of lives, man, by what you've accomplished in Toronto. Mine especially.' And thanked him for what he did, and we'll look to the future, and we'll look to [win a title] again."Read | 'Can't blame' Leonard for leaving, says NurseLeonard averaged 30.5 points in the playoffs, was named the Finals MVP and helped the Raptors avoid elimination by knocking down a crazy bouncing buzzer beater in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the 76ers in the second round. "It's certainly disappointing," Nurse said. "I think, first of all, he's a great person. He was unbelievably fun to coach, just locked in and loaded and ready to go. People would ask me, 'What was it like coaching him?' And I always said the best thing was I got to stand there on the courtside and watch this guy go to work. That was something that I'll never forget.”The Clippers became the betting favorites to win the 2019-20 championship after landing Leonard. Read more stories on Basketball. For more updates, follow Sportstar on :