Kawhi Leonard may not have said he’s staying with the LA Clippers but it’s just business.
Despite the NBA season not starting for one more day, people are already asking Kawhi Leonard about his future with the LA Clippers. Leonard can enter free agency after this season, should he opt to decline his player option.
After big names previously set to also be free agents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Paul George agreed to deals to stay with their current teams, Kawhi is now far and beyond the biggest name in free agency.
When asked about that on Monday during Clippers’ media availability, he remained non-commital.
“I’m just focused on this season. Not saying I’m going anywhere else or staying here. The best decision is to decline player option, but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving or staying.”
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) December 21, 2020
- Kawhi Leonard on his free agency. pic.twitter.com/0QR3JJUP2z
Clipper Nation might panic a bit to hear Kawhi not commit to a future with this franchise but he tried to remain as neutral as possible, citing this season as his primary focus. That’s not a bad thing, seeing as how a title this year would leave fans happy even if he left a la his time in Toronto.
Just remember this is a business move. Kawhi knows that this is likely his last big deal coming up and even said it was the smart move to decline his player option if he is healthy when this season ends. The man just wants to get paid.
It is tough at this point to see where Kawhi would go should he leave the Clippers next summer but anything is possible. Not committing to anything is just the right choice and will net him the most money possible. Leonard is eligible for the 10-year veteran max contract next summer.
Hopefully, this answer will keep reporters from bugging him about his pending free agency for the rest of the season. With so many big names off the board though, it’s hard to imagine that will happen and now the question will loom over the franchise until next summer. The team will have one more year to prove they made the right moves and that Kawhi should stay home.