Even if Leonard himself has downplayed …

Even if Leonard himself has downplayed the significance of his approach. “As far as player power, you mean? I mean, I was a free agent, so I could choose anywhere I wanted,” he said when asked about player empowerment at the team’s initial press conference with George. “I really don’t have too much to say on that.” His strategy, one in which Leonard would apply pressure for the Clippers to land another co-star as a prerequisite to his decision, was a statement all its own. “He ran his process,” one person involved in Clippers’ courting said. “It was crystal clear he was the boss.”