Kawhi Leonard: Extension Unlikely with Spurs
By Evan Massey
The San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard are not expected to finish a contract extension before the deadline.
The San Antonio Spurs have been interested in extending Kawhi Leonard‘s contract this offseason, but the two sides have been unable to come to an agreement on a deal. Leonard is asking for a very sizable deal, and it’s unclear whether or not the Spurs are willing to pay his demands. San Antonio still wants to keep him around, but they would rather wait until the offseason to work something out.
According to a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Spurs and Leonard are not expected to come to an agreement prior to tonight’s deadline.
It’s no reason to panic for the Spurs, as they will hold the right to match any offer that another team throws at Kawhi Leonard in his restricted free agency. They still view Leonard as their long-term face of the franchise, and it is very likely that the two sides will get something done in the offseason.
Leonard had a solid year last season for the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. He has come up big in the NBA Playoffs each of the last two seasons, and has become on of the NBA’s elite perimeter defenders. There is still work for him to do on the offensive end of the court, but he’s already taken major leaps from his second season in the league.
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San Antonio is one of the NBA’s best run franchises, and their players are usually loyal to sticking around with the Spurs. They will give Leonard a fair offer in the offseason, and Leonard doesn’t want to leave the Spurs either. Don’t expect to see him playing another team anytime soon.
That being said, it will be intriguing to see what type of money Leonard is asking for from the Spurs. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see the maximum contract be discussed, and that might be what he ends up getting if he has a big year. San Antonio won’t let their up-and-coming star walk in free agency, and will match any offer that Leonard receives if they can’t get him locked up first.