The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to a three year, $153 million extension with oft-injured forward Kawhi Leonard, ESPN reported.
Leonard was approaching a June deadline to opt in to a $48.7 million player option for next season. Instead, the two sides agreed to giving him a significant pay raise, sources informed Adrian Wojnaroski, according to ESPN.
The Clippers will pay Leonard $52 million in the deal’s first year and about $50 million the next two years, Adrian Wojnaroski learned, ESPN reported.
Good Morning, #ClipperNation 🖐️
We’ve signed Kawhi Leonard to a contract extension. pic.twitter.com/aBDJpHwEn0
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) January 10, 2024
“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Kawhi. He is an elite player, a terrific partner and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement.
It’s a risky move for the Clippers but one with a high upside. The two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard has massive potential when he’s healthy. The problem is, for the Clippers, he mostly hasn’t been.
After playing less than 60 games each in his first two seasons in LA, Kawhi missed the entire 2021-2022 season with an ACL tear. He initiated a somewhat successful comeback during the 2022-2023 season, but still managed to play in only 52 games. (RELATED: Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra’s Ex-Wife Pops Off On Social Media After Trolls Say She Fumbled The Bag)
This year, however, things are going quite well for The Klaw. He’s only missed four of the Clippers games and he’s averaging a solid 23.8 points per game and playing solid defense. While that’s not quite near his peak of 27.1 points per game in his first Clippers year, it’s worth a shot to see if he can pick things up and regain his postseason prowess.