No. 2 reason the LA Clippers should still pay Kawhi Leonard if he opts out: Stick to the plan that got us here
The LA Clippers acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at the same time for a reason.
The goal was to team these superstars up and run this league in a new era of Clippers basketball.
Well, they gave George a fat extension in December 2020. It guaranteed him to make up to $226 million from last season up through the next four (the extension years).
That’s a lot of money to be spending on the number two star of this team, who the Clippers signed in the first place to play with the number one star on this team.
That extension doesn’t have as much of an impact if the Clippers can’t pair it with play on the court from Leonard as well. Leonard may cost a ridiculous amount of money this offseason, should he opt out. However, with them already extending George, what other choice do they even have?
The Clips extended George so he could dominate in LA with Leonard. So, keep that alive. The only other option would be to blow the team up, which would be a horrible idea.
That would mean that the Clippers would have to trade George, which would be nearly impossible if they want the best value for him. They don’t even have any tradeable first round picks to package with George in a deal.
Stop with the nonsense. Keep George, and do everything possible to hold onto Leonard if he opts out.