Aug 13, 2021 at 04:25
HONOR
EFE / Los Angeles
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The star forward Kawhi Leonard will continue four more seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers after renewing a contract on Thursday for a maximum salary of $ 176.3 million. The deal also includes a fourth-year player option that could allow Leonard to get back into the free-agent market. Leonard had previously turned down his $ 36 million player option next season to become a free agent. He told the team last Friday that he would return to the Clippers, who finalized the deal nearly a week later. The Los Angeles team after closing the agreement with Leonard reiterated that it was a franchise player who had shown a commitment and an uncommon ethic in his fight to achieve the same objectives that are within the organization.
Leonard, 30, is expected to miss significant time this season while returning from the surgery to repair a right anterior cruciate ligament partially torn that kept him out of the Clippers’ last eight postseason games. The Los Angeles team reiterated that Leonard’s full recovery is the biggest concern and that therefore no one is going to rush anything.
Leonard could have signed a four-year, $ 187 million extension had he opted for the $ 36 million he was due to earn in the 2021-22 season, but he opted for free agency. In return, Leonard chose a longer-term contract rather than potentially signing a two-year, $ 82 million deal with a player option in 2022-23 and becoming a free agent again in 2022, which would have made him eligible to sign. a maximum five-year, $ 235 million contract with the Clippers.
Despite his injury, Leonard, a two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NBA Finals, has remained connected to the Clippers, joining other veterans such as forward Paul George and point guard Reggie Jackson who attended the first two Clippers games this week in the summer league in Las Vegas.
The Clippers have spent this offseason keeping their core largely intact after reaching their first Western Conference final last season, re-signing Leonard, Jackson and French forward Nicolas Batum. The Spanish Congolese power forward Serge Ibaka opting to return to the second year of his contract, the team added free agent forward Justise Winslow to help fill the void created by Leonard’s knee injury, who averaged 24.8 points last season; 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 52 league games during his sophomore year with the Clippers. His arrival spawned the traded five first-round picks, Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Italian power forward Danilo Gallinari to Oklahoma City Thunder for George.
The Clippers now signed Leonard and George to long-term contracts. George signed a four-year, $ 190 million extension last December. Both Clippers stars have player options in their contracts lined up for the 2024-25 season. That’s also the same season the Clippers plan to move to their new arena in Inglewood, California.
Before Leonard’s knee injury, the Clippers had a glimpse of their potential with Leonard and George playing their best basketball together on the playoff stage.
Leonard averaged 30.4 points; 7.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 57.3% from the field during the 11 postseason games. George placed his contribution at 26.9 points; 9.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists during the playoffs.
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