Kawhi Leonard tried to recruit Kevin Durant. He managed to recruit Paul George to play alongside him with the Clippers. And he also reached out to another top free agent.

According to ESPN, Leonard had a close eye on Kyrie Irving during the free-agency frenzy and “at points” recruited the All-Star guard. Irving, however, already had designs on forming a power duo with Durant in Brooklyn. That plan, at least according to new Knicks forward Bobby Portis, was hatched as early as February.

The Lakers fell short in their quest to form an elite trio of Leonard, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Leonard wanted a co-star to join him on the Clippers, and along with his four-year $142 million max deal, he successfully recruited George to force a trade from the Thunder.

Though Leonard is perceived as an atypically quiet superstar, he seemingly had no problem trying to pull strings behind the scenes like other NBA power brokers have. An executive told ESPN that Leonard “found his voice” during the free-agency process.