Clippers' Lawrence Frank: Kawhi Leonard Circled Paul George as Top Trade Target

Kawhi Leonard apparently made his wishes to play with Paul George very clear.

Ben Golliver of the Washington Post noted Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told those who attended a season ticketholder event that Leonard said “That’s the guy” when members of the front office put Paul George’s name on a board of potential targets during a July 1 meeting with the reigning NBA Finals MVP.

The Clippers wasted little time doing what they could to get George and traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the six-time All-Star.

It was a significant package to pay for any player, but one could also view it as a trade for George and Leonard if the latter made playing alongside the former such a priority.

As a result, the Clippers are immediately on the short list of title contenders. The core that featured Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams that pushed the Golden State Warriors in the first round is still in place, and it now has a head-turning tandem in Leonard and George.

Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their first championship in franchise history last season and defeated the league MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference Finals and the two-time defending champion Warriors in the NBA Finals along the way.

He now has George, who is a five-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive selection, playing with him. An argument can be made the Clippers have the two best two-way players in the league and can match up with any team they run into come the postseason, even in the loaded Western Conference.

"This is probably going to be my first time playing with an elite player of his level," Leonard said of George in an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "You know, around the same age as me, same talent. I'm excited."

He was excited about potentially playing with George back when he was meeting with the Clippers.