Kawhi Leonard will be staying in
the City of Angels for at least three more years.
The two-time Finals MVP and NBA
champion agreed to a three-year, $153 million contract extension
with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of
ESPN.
“It just made sense from both sides,” Clippers president of
basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. “We both wanted the same
thing. We wanted Kawhi to be a Clipper for a very long time and
Kawhi wants to be a Clipper for a very long time, and we wanted to
put the focus on the team and at the same time it just came
together where it just made sense where it was a very fair deal for
both sides.
“Kawhi was a great partner. Because of this new CBA, there’s
harsh penalties but team building penalties for high spending teams
and Kawhi understood it.”
The 6-foot-7 forward decided to
come home and join the Clippers in 2019, teaming up with Paul
George in hopes of adding another championship ring to his
collection. However, a deep playoff run has eluded them for years
thanks to myriad factors including injuries and bad
matchups.
Frank said that the Clippers
have discussed a possible extension with George’s camp as well, but
no deal is imminent.
This season, the Clippers are
23-13, which is the fourth-best record in the Western Conference
and Leonard is at the forefront of it all – averaging 23.8 points,
6.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in an All-Star-worthy season. He has
also been extremely efficient, shooting 51.6% from the field, 43.0%
from three-point range and 87.1% from the free-throw
line.
Now, Leonard and the Clippers
will continue their marriage for the foreseeable future with a goal
of winning the franchise’s first championship.
