2023-07-29 09:43:00
Arrived at the Clippers in 2019 to try to bring a first title to the other Los Angeles franchise, Kawhi Leonard is already approaching the end of his contract. So quite naturally, one wonders if an extension of the superstar is coming. The insider ofESPN Ohm Youngmisuk brings us the latest elements on this file.
“No rush”, “no rush”, “it’s silent”.
This is how the insider describes the current state of negotiations regarding a potential contract extension for Kawhi Leonard, who is currently eligible for an extension. As a reminder, the Clippers star is under contract with Los Angeles until 2025 but has a player option at almost $ 49 million for the 2024-25 season, which means that he can theoretically become a free agent as early as 2024.
Noise regarding a Kawhi Leonard extension is “quiet” and there is currently “no rush” to tie things up.
Clippers are likely hoping that the desire to stay at home and belief in the project will persuade both Kawhi and PG to accept less than the max.@NotoriousOHM via The Lowe Post pic.twitter.com/TZ9YAl4R1n
— Clippers UK (@ClippersUK) July 28, 2023
This news is not very surprising knowing that Kawhi Leonard still finished the season in the infirmary.
Healthy, Leonard is still one of the best NBA players and the Clippers would probably offer him a maximum extension with his eyes closed if he was on the court more often, but unfortunately this is not the case. Victim of a ruptured knee ligament during the 2021 Playoffs, author of a white season in 2021-22, and forced to withdraw from the 2023 Playoffs because of a torn meniscus, Kawhi Leonard is not not the kind of player on which a franchise can bet serenely on the long term. Especially when you know he’s 32.
That doesn’t mean the Clippers are considering a future without Leonard, just that they want to be on the safe side. Certainly the owner Steve Ballmer is full of aces and is ready to do anything to allow the Clippers to reach the heights, nevertheless he is aware that the new CBA will be very penalizing for the most expensive franchises in the League, including the Clips for several seasons. As the insider ofESPN Ohm Youngmisuk, the ideal scenario for the California team would be for Kawhi to accept for less than the max amount in order to stay in his hometown of Los Angeles. Not won… All this also applies to the other Clippers star Paul George, eligible for an extension in September.
Let’s play everyone’s favorite game: That’s True, That Might Be True, That’s Ridiculous.
Topic: The Clippers should re-sign Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
????: pic.twitter.com/duTKsWI7BP
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) July 25, 2023
The extension of Kawhi Leonard as well as that of Paul George will represent very interesting files to follow on the side of the City of Angels. If the two players want to extend only with a max contract, will the Clippers fold to go through with the championship project started in 2019?
Let’s not forget that we are talking regarding a franchise that has long been synonymous with mediocrity while evolving in the shadow of the Lakers. A franchise that seeks more than ever to make its own place in the sun, which may be complicated without Kawhi and PG. A new room is precisely planned on the side of Inglewood in order to stop the colocation with the legendary Purple & Gold franchise in the center of LA, but it is above all through the results in the Playoffs that the Clippers will manage to stand out. They have probably never had such an opportunity to challenge for the title as in recent seasons, and know they have the potential to go all the way if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George manage to avoid injuries.
But we know that with “if”…
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Source texte : ESPN (via Lowe Post Podcast)
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