Doc Rivers: Paul George Trade to Clippers Almost Fell Through Multiple Times

The Los Angeles Clippers landed both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on July 6, but in the hours leading up to the deal being completed, there was serious doubt the team was going to be able to pull it off.

L.A. coach Doc Rivers revealed on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday that there were multiple points throughout the day the Clippers believed they were not going to be able to reach an agreement with the Oklahoma City Thunder on George, a move Leonard required if he was going to sign as a free agent:

"I can tell you on the day that it all went down, at 10 that morning, we thought the deal was over. That it wasn't going to happen. Because Oklahoma and us, we just couldn't get a deal done. At two, we thought it was back on. At five, [Clippers president Lawrence Frank] said 'Hey, it's over. We can all just go to dinner.' And so I was on my way to dinner, I was literally walking into Nobu in Malibu and I get a text, 'Grab your phone, it's back on.' Within an hour, the deal was done."

Leonard was one of the most sought-after free agents this summer. While other stars had made their landing spots known early on in the process, the soft-spoken Leonard kept things close to the vest.

Ultimately, though, he told the Clippers he would sign if they could acquire George.

The Clippers eventually met the Thunder's asking price. L.A. sent OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Danilo Gallinari and three of their first-round picks (2022, 2024 and 2026) as well as two first-rounders via Miami (2021 and 2023), while the Thunder also received the right to swap first-round picks in 2023 and 2025.

L.A. received only George—a 2018-19 NBA MVP finalist—in the deal, but the trade subsequently resulted in a commitment from Leonard, the reigning NBA Finals MVP.

Leonard later told ESPN's Rachel Nichols that he was looking forward to teaming up with George, which will be his "first time playing with ... an elite player on his level":

Even though the odds of a potential George trade appeared slim at times, Rivers and Co. never completely gave up hope. As a result, they will now enter the 2019-20 season among the favorites to win the championship.

The franchise has never advanced beyond the conference semifinals, let alone hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy.