Danilo Gallinari goes off on Kawhi Leonard, blaming him for changing his career path

Kawhi Leonard's saga with the Los Angeles Clippers has finally come to a close, as the team has announced his trade to the Toronto Raptors. Ever since 2019, Leonard has shown that there was potential in him with the Clippers, but it came at a cost to the franchise.

Since one of Leonard's reasons for going to the Clippers was getting a shot at playing with Paul George, they needed to make some moves. That involved trading Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and five first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While it panned out for the Thunder and SGA, it was not the best move for Gallinari.

Danilo Gallinari blames Kawhi Leonard for struggling after his Clippers stint

Throughout his 16-year NBA career, Gallinari had some of his best years playing for the Clippers. He spent two seasons with the team from 2017 to 2019, and he felt that it was one of the best times of his career, and he was destined for bigger things off the back of those campaigns.

Unfortunately for Gallinari, it seems that the trade to OKC halted his momentum. He had a strong 2019-20 season with the Thunder, but after that, his career stalled with the Atlanta Hawks. It was a significant step down from how he was playing with the Clippers, and he feels aggrieved by what happened with the trade. 

MORE: The full details of the Kawhi Leonard trade between the Clippers and the Raptors

Gallinari could have been a solid contributor with the Clippers, but unfortunately, he was an enticing player to trade for. While Gilgeous-Alexander became the cornerstone of that trade, Gallinari was a solid player for a season in OKC, proving that he could have helped that Clippers team with his skill set.

"He should pay all of that $50 million. He changed the trajectory of my career and put me in a difficult situation by sending me away from Los Angeles," Gallinari said about Leonard's situation with the Clippers and how it affected him.

Those are some bold statements to make because the punishments have all been handed out. The Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer took the brunt of it, while Leonard had to pay $700,000, which is a modest penalty when compared to what happened with the Clippers. If it was up to Gallinari, it seems he wanted Leonard to serve a harsher penalty.

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