Kawhi Leonard is now the longest-tenured player on the LA Clippers roster, but that might not last for very long.
Leonard and the Clippers will assess their future together this summer, Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime reported this week. Haynes notes that Leonard is extension-eligible and only has one year left on his current deal with the team.
At 34 years old, Leonard is having arguably his best individual season yet. He is averaging a career-high 27.7 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on pristine 50/39/92 shooting splits. That was good enough for Leonard to earn his seventh career NBA All-Star selection this year.
But the Clippers may slowly be moving past this current iteration of their team. Though they have been the hottest team in the league over the last two months (winning 18 of their last 24 games), the Clippers traded away both James Harden and Ivica Zubac, two pillars of their roster, ahead of the deadline.
Leonard is making $50 million this season and is also under contract for another $50.3 million next season. Haynes notes that superstar players usually do not like to go into a final contract year without an extension.
Both Leonard and the Clippers could also be facing some imminent punishment from the NBA over their ongoing Aspiration scandal (involving alleged circumvention of the league’s salary cap). Thus, the two sides may soon have to decide whether to continue their partnership into Leonard’s twilight years or to find a new home for the two-time Finals MVP via trade.
