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LA Clippers: What are the odds Kawhi Leonard opts into final year of deal?

By Evan Desai

Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard has one of the more important decisions of his basketball career to make this summer.

If he picks up his player option, he’ll make $36,016,200 next year.

Leonard will have many suitors this offseason, should he turn it down. If he does turn it down, he could still come back to the Clippers. It’s why it may be smart to initially turn down the option.

There is a solid chance that Kawhi Leonard turns down his player option with the LA Clippers.

If Kawhi Leonard opts out of his deal to test free agency, however, that doesn’t mean he won’t end up an LA Clipper.

It simply means he’ll be a free agent who the Clippers will still have the chance to keep in LA.

It could go either way. While I definitely do think that Leonard will be a Clipper next year, I could see him choosing to force the Clippers to pay him as much as he can.

Look at it this way: Paul George signed an extension last offseason for these next four years where he’s going to make an average salary of $44,066,367 per year.

While PG is deserving of a bag like that, nobody is worth more to the Clippers than Kawhi. Like George, Giannis Antetokounmpo is another star who was originally set to be a free agent this offseason, and got extended.

His extension is worth an average of $45,640,084 for the next five years. Leonard likely wants this type of money, as he himself was a First-Team All-NBA selection, he has multiple rings and Finals MVPs, and also is in the conversation for the best player in the world right now.

There are two teams, the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, that are expected to push hard for Leonard this offseason. There are also other teams such as the New York Knicks who are also expected to try to get in the mix.

While I don’t think these teams will end up actually coming out of the offseason with Leonard on their roster, I do think they are interesting fits that Leonard may want to explore at the beginning of free agency.

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I don’t know for sure that Kawhi will be opting out to test free agency, but I think there’s a 50/50 chance. He absolutely is worth more than what his option is worth, and testing the Clips to see just how much they would pay him would be a smart move for the superstar.

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