Poll: Would you lose interest in the NBA if Leonard went to Lakers

[Chief]

I loved the 2019 Finals. The games were so good. I really hope The Lebron Super Team doesn't happen again.

[Sophomore]

To the 70% who voted below, “Wouldn’t impact it”... I don’t believe you.

You should. Anything can happen. Just ask this year’s GSW or the Warriors team that was up 3-1 in the finals before losing. Heck, you could talk to that team in the east that everybody picked as the conference favorite last year — before they limped to the 4 seed and got stomped out in the second round... 

[KGs Knee]

No.  I support players choosing to play wherever they wish.  It's their life, not mine, they deserve the right to be happy with their employer as much as anyone else.

I'd be upset because it would likely mean the Lakers will pass us for titles soon (they very well might anyway).  That wouldn't be an issue if the Celtics had done a better job of keeping Kyrie and Al happy here.

[footey]

No.  I support players choosing to play wherever they wish.  It's their life, not mine, they deserve the right to be happy with their employer as much as anyone else.

I'd be upset because it would likely mean the Lakers will pass us for titles soon (they very well might anyway).  That wouldn't be an issue if the Celtics had done a better job of keeping Kyrie and Al happy here.

This is sweet but naive. They are playing in a league that by its nature is supposed to be comprised of teams that are competitive with one another. This is not you or me deciding whether to take a job at Google or Facebook. Carried to its logical conclusion, the league will become predictable and boring.

[gouki88]

I would hate it. Kawhi is one of my favourite players in the league, and this would be the worst. Playing for my least favourite franchise alongside one of my least favourite players. Yuck.

It would be interesting seeing how the LeBron detractors respond. Would certainly add ammunition for the whole “LeBron can’t win without forming super-teams” argument

[timpiker]

I'm pretty done with NBA already.  I only care about the C's as it is.  I can honestly say I hate everything about the league except for the C's.

[KGs Knee]

No.  I support players choosing to play wherever they wish.  It's their life, not mine, they deserve the right to be happy with their employer as much as anyone else.

I'd be upset because it would likely mean the Lakers will pass us for titles soon (they very well might anyway).  That wouldn't be an issue if the Celtics had done a better job of keeping Kyrie and Al happy here.

This is sweet but naive. They are playing in a league that by its nature is supposed to be comprised of teams that are competitive with one another. This is not you or me deciding whether to take a job at Google or Facebook. Carried to its logical conclusion, the league will become predictable and boring.

LOL 

[ChillyWilly]

No.  I support players choosing to play wherever they wish.  It's their life, not mine, they deserve the right to be happy with their employer as much as anyone else.

I'd be upset because it would likely mean the Lakers will pass us for titles soon (they very well might anyway).  That wouldn't be an issue if the Celtics had done a better job of keeping Kyrie and Al happy here.

This is sweet but naive. They are playing in a league that by its nature is supposed to be comprised of teams that are competitive with one another. This is not you or me deciding whether to take a job at Google or Facebook. Carried to its logical conclusion, the league will become predictable and boring.

45 of the 72 Champions have come from 4 franchises. The league has almost always been predictable.

[RockinRyA]

I would hate it. Kawhi is one of my favourite players in the league, and this would be the worst. Playing for my least favourite franchise alongside one of my least favourite players. Yuck.

It would be interesting seeing how the LeBron detractors respond. Would certainly add ammunition for the whole “LeBron can’t win without forming super-teams” argument

Kawhi has proven he can win without Lebron. There really is no incentive to add in all that Drama.

If he really wanted to play close to home, there's always the Clippers.

Lebron meanwhile, he would certainly suffer even more in the GOAT conversation. Can you imagine Jordan recruiting Bird after 1986?

[SparzWizard]

I already lost a lot of interest in the NBA after the Celtics Big 3 era ended.

Used to watch every game. Now I only watch some games/marquee matchup games/playoff games that involves the Celtics. I obviously won't watch a lot of Celtics games if they're a tanking team. But I'll definitely watch Celtics games if there's Kemba Walker or basically if the C's are a top 4 team in the East.

I guess the product and quality has gone down. And ESPN is an obvious Boston-hating sports entertainment so there's that too.

[Ogaju]

lol @ all the experts who said Kawhi would not consider the Lakers.

[gouki88]

I would hate it. Kawhi is one of my favourite players in the league, and this would be the worst. Playing for my least favourite franchise alongside one of my least favourite players. Yuck.

It would be interesting seeing how the LeBron detractors respond. Would certainly add ammunition for the whole “LeBron can’t win without forming super-teams” argument

Kawhi has proven he can win without Lebron. There really is no incentive to add in all that Drama.

If he really wanted to play close to home, there's always the Clippers.

Lebron meanwhile, he would certainly suffer even more in the GOAT conversation. Can you imagine Jordan recruiting Bird after 1986?

I tend to think similarly. The only reason I think he'd pick the Lakers is because he wants to be a Laker.

I think if he joins the Clippers they'll put a team more likely to win around him than the Lakers would if he joined them. They'd actually have a bench, which you'd imagine Kawhi would value after Toronto's run.

Who knows though. Some people are weird

[Bobshot]

I don't think my interest in the league would change, but it would enhance my view that the league has to do something about preventing excessive star clustering in free agency.

A way to do this is to limit the max's a team can have to 2. 

That would spread the stars out and force teams to depend more on roster depth for championships.

The Lakers have been wheeling and dealing for years to get to a cap place where they can absorb max salaries. Now that they've gotten there, it raises the question as to whether this should be a legitimate route to contention.  At least in terms of the number of max's you can sign.  I think it's a flawed system.

[Rosco917]

Leonard going to the Lakers would contribute to putting me over the top for sure.

He just won a ring in Toronto...leaving a City and fanbase that loves him? Seriously. That's something Lebron would do.

I'm feeling an ambivalence to the NBA... it's like the players don't give a crap about the fans or the cities that supported them any longer. Almost like there is an ulterior motive in the works.

There is a definite resentment for the human beings formerly known as owners but now renamed "the Governors."

[Fafnir]

It would be funny if Kawhi was asking to see Jeannie Buss to say he'll join but only if they trade LeBron first.

I was texting this to my brother just this afternoon. I would love it so much if Kawhi flexed on the Lakers and LBJ like that.