No. 2: Kawhi Leonard
2017-2018 per game stats: 16.2 PTS, 4.7 REB, 2.3 AST
Much like his predecessor on this list, Kawhi Leonard‘s summer was filled with drama, speculation, and unfortunately, plenty of hate.
The Clippers’ own Bruce Bowen was a voice in all three of those, calling out Leonard in June, not long after the saga began:
"“First, it was, ‘Well I was misdiagnosed.’ Look here: You got $18 million this year, and you think that they’re trying to rush you? You didn’t play for the most part a full season this year. And you’re the go-to guy, you’re the franchise and you want to say that they didn’t have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me?” “Not one time has Kawhi come out and said anything to the effect of, ‘You know what, hey, I really enjoy being in San Antonio.’ Or, ‘I can’t stand what’s going on here in San Antonio. Not one time has he said anything.”"
Bowen has since been fired, but his comments are still a reminder of how heated things got over the summer.
And even after all that, Leonard still didn’t end up in Los Angeles. Instead, the Toronto Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio in exchange for the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Leonard could leave Toronto as early as next summer, and the Clippers are expected to pursue him. He undoubtedly took a step back last season (albeit it’s a very small sample size), and while his injury may loom as an indefinite concern, Leonard is still a max player.
If our no. 1 pick on this list isn’t available, securing Leonard will still be a historic achievement, and a sign of things to come for the franchise.