“Robertson asked team officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane…” – Kawhi Leonard’s uncle demanded “illegal” benefits from the Lakers in 2019 originally appeared on Basketball Network.
During the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers made an ambitious move by trading for Anthony Davis and trying to sign two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in free agency.
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They had already secured LeBron James the season before, creating the possibility of a superteam that could dominate the next era of NBA basketball.
For a few weeks, the idea of James, Davis and Leonard sharing the same locker room felt like a potential turning point in league history.
But that dream never materialized. Despite their aggressive push, the Lakers were eventually left on the outside looking in as Leonard opted to join the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers.
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Outrageous requests
In the weeks and months that followed, the story of what happened behind the scenes slowly unraveled — and at the center of it was Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and trusted adviser.
His alleged “illegal” demands cast a shadow over the negotiations, raising serious questions about what it actually took to land a superstar in modern free agency.
“Sources say the league was told that Robertson asked team officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house and — last but certainly not least, a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team,” Sam Amick of The Athletic reported.
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That kind of ask was audacious and a direct violation of the collective bargaining agreement. No team, not even one backed by the deep pockets of the Lakers, could have legally agreed to those terms.
Jeanie Buss, then the Lakers owner, pointed out the illegal nature of the wish list and refused to entertain the perks. That response was about keeping the franchise compliant and above board.
For all the desperation to win another banner, Buss wasn’t willing to risk tampering charges or worse just to secure a third star. Interestingly, the report adds that similar requests were made to the Toronto Raptors, Leonard’s previous team. That suggests the strategy wasn’t unique to Los Angeles but rather a broad approach from Robertson during the free agency tour.
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The NBA eventually investigated the matter and found no concrete evidence that the Clippers, the team Leonard eventually signed with, had granted any of the demands. However, the existence of those demands changed how people talked about Kawhi’s free agency.
Kawhi’s bombshell
Leonard ended up signing for the other L.A. franchise as he agreed to a reported three-year, $103 million contract with the Clippers, a move that instantly reshaped the power structure of the league. The same night, the Clippers pulled off a trade for Paul George, sending a war chest of picks and players to Oklahoma City.
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The Lakers had done everything right from a basketball perspective, cleared cap space, built around two All-NBA stars and offered a massive market with global visibility. But it wasn’t enough. Leonard’s camp appeared to value control, privacy and autonomy in ways that couldn’t be fully accommodated under league rules.
That summer became a defining moment in L.A.’s basketball rivalry.
The Clippers weren’t just an afterthought anymore. They had gone toe-to-toe with the Lakers in the free agency battlefield and walked away with the prize.
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In the seasons that followed, however, both injuries and inconsistency haunted their playoff runs. And while the Lakers captured the 2020 championship in the Orlando bubble, the Clippers spent that same postseason imploding in the second round.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.