Kawhi Leonard’s Free Agency Pitch to Serge Ibaka: ‘Hey, What’s Up?’

In Friday’s Hot Clicks: Kawhi Leonard’s very convincing recruitment tactics, a shocking incident at a high school football game and more.

Classic Kawhi

Former Raptors teammates Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka have been reunited in Los Angeles after Ibaka signed with the Clippers in free agency. The move seemed like a match made in heaven. The Clips filled a hole in their frontcourt left by the departures of JaMychal Green and Montrezl Harrell, and did so by bringing in a guy who their star player is already familiar with. 

Ibaka probably didn’t need much convincing, but Leonard still reached out to recruit him—in typical understated Kawhi fashion. 

“On free agency day, he texted me, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ I said, ‘What’s up, bro?’” Ibaka told reporters on Thursday. “A moment later, ‘Bro, are you coming or no?’ Just picture Kawhi and his voice. It was funny. I know him, so that’s always how we communicate.”

Would you expect anything else from Kawhi? 

And honestly, it’s a good a pitch. “Are you coming or no?” gets straight to the point, which makes it clear that Kawhi wants Ibaka in Los Angeles. He’s not wasting any time messing around. He wants this deal done.

The funniest part might be Ibaka saying Kawhi waited until the day free agency opened to reach out. He might be the only guy in the NBA to respect the tampering rules. 

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