Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs did not reach agreement on a contract extension, but that does not mean the emerging star won’t be with the team in the future. In fact, Leonard is pretty confident that he will be with the Spurs for his entire career.
Leonard and the Spurs had an Oct. 31 deadline to reach agreement on an extension before Leonard could become a restricted free agent after the season. Waiting until next year to sign a new contract could actually help him stay with the Spurs longer; this way, they can offer him a five-year contract instead of four.
Leonard told USA Today’s Sam Amick that the Spurs explained to him what their position was:
“I was never upset about (the extension),” Leonard told USA Today’s Amick. “I mean they explained to me what their deal is and why they didn’t do it yet. That’ll play out. I’m just here to play basketball and have fun and try to win another championship. If I think about that, then I’m not going to be the same player that I am and will be just out of it.
“I don’t think I’m going anywhere,” Leonard said. “I mean they love me here. I like the organization, and if it was up to me, I want to finish out with one team like a lot of great players have done, to stay with one organization their whole career and just be loyal to that. You never know. We’ll see what happens next summer, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be in a Spurs jersey for my whole life.”
Well that’s all you really need to know. The Spurs have done a great job of getting their star players to take less money so the team can afford better role players. Maybe Leonard will be their next star player to follow the pattern in hopes of winning championships. After all, the formula has worked extremely well for the last two decades.
Additionally, if you want the specifics behind the Spurs’ position, Pro Basketball Talk did some analysis showing that Leonard will cost about $8 million less against the salary cap next year if he waits to sign the extension. That’s a big reason why the Spurs prefer to wait.
