Kawhi Leonard didn’t just leave a massive void in the middle of the Raptors’ lineup when he ended his brief free agency by agreeing to join the Los Angeles Clippers. The all-star small forward and two-time NBA Finals MVP changed the trajectories of four franchises for the next few years.

Toronto lost the player who powered their transition from contender to NBA champion, while the Los Angeles Lakers are recalibrating plans after failing to lure Leonard into a LeBron James-led superteam. Leonard’s new contract — reportedly two years plus a player option, and worth up to $103 million – also vaults the Clippers onto the shortlist of favourites for next season’s NBA title.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder lose superstar Paul George, who, at Leonard’s suggestion, demanded a trade to the Clippers. But the Thunder netted enough young talent and draft picks to rebuild themselves into a powerhouse a generation from now.

Leonard didn’t just take his professional destiny into his own massive hands. He bent the entire Western Conference to his desire. Trading for Anthony Davis made the Lakers frontrunners for another Finals appearance, but now they might not even be best team at the Staples Center.

From here it’s natural to wonder what happens next, and whether this trend will spread to other players and other teams. Earlier this week the New York Times framed the Leonard-to-L.A. developments as a question:

Do players have too much power?

Short answer — no.

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It’s less about players in general than about Leonard in particular, and the unique circumstances that allowed him to conceive and realize this landscape-changing set of transactions.

Most players don’t have the power to shift league-wide balances by demanding trades to specific clubs, or bypassing general managers to create teams of their choosing. Super elite performers like James and Leonard do. So, if you’re worried Leonard’s power moves will become as routine among NBA players as shoe deals, and render general managers irrelevant, you can relax.

The NBA is full of talent, but there aren’t enough James- and Leonard-calibre players to turn Kawhi-style power moves into a trend. Outside a handful of transcendent standouts, even superstars remain subject to management’s will. DeMar DeRozan wanted to stay in Toronto, but even four all-star appearances and two all-NBA selections didn’t give him the clout to make it happen. The Raptors made a business decision to ship him out, and now he plays in San Antonio, just as the executives who brokered the deal intended. Leonard’s move isn’t the start of a league-wide revolution. The balance of power between players and management is largely unchanged.

Plus, Leonard’s free-agency strategy isn’t something other players can replicate. It’s the culmination of a long process of building capital — two titles and two Finals MVPs — then leveraging it to build the nucleus of the Clippers team he wanted. And in assessing whether other players will follow Leonard’s lead, we can’t ignore those costs.

They’re steep.

The Clippers bought in, sending the Thunder a string of first-round draft picks between now and 2026. They’ve bet their future that they can win a title in the two years they’re guaranteed with Leonard.

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Meanwhile, ESPN analyst Bobby Marks compared the value of the contracts Leonard could have earned by staying put, and the maximum he can earn if he opts out of his new deal and re-signs with the Clippers. All told, Marks said, Leonard will have cost himself $118 million, though the marginal value of that money is a lot lower for Leonard, who has reached the triple-figure contract stage of superstardom, than for players earning less.

Plus, sports salary analyst Michael Ginnitti points out that playing out a two-year term with the Clippers could position Leonard for an even bigger free agency windfall in the summer of 2021, while allowing him and George to hit the market at the same time.

But the move is still a gamble, and it’s tough to predict how many other players would mimic Leonard’s willingness to pass up that much guaranteed cash in exchange for influence over personnel decisions.

A lot of people would like Kawhi Leonard’s power, but it’s expensive and few besides Leonard can afford it.

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