No. 1 reason the LA Clippers should still pay Kawhi Leonard if he opts out: He’s the best player in the NBA
The LA Clippers have the chance to re-sign the best player in the NBA in Kawhi Leonard, so why not do it?
Yes, he is the best player in the NBA. Who’s better?
LeBron James couldn’t make the playoffs, and had to have Anthony Davis come save the day in a pandemic season. He got his pandemic championship, but he couldn’t even make it out of the first round when real basketball started again.
Kevin Durant couldn’t make the Eastern Conference Finals with a roster that was intentionally loaded with stars so that the injuries the team faced wouldn’t matter. Leonard is the best player on a team that made the conference finals in a conference that is much better than the East.
Leonard has beat Luka Doncic in each of the last two years now, and Steph Curry can’t even make the playoffs these days. And no, it’s not that his team was injured. Our team faced far more injuries than the Warriors this year.
Nikola Jokic was the rightful MVP of this season, but he hasn’t been this great for long enough to put him over Leonard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly an amazing player, but I’ll take Leonard’s two Finals MVPs.
First-Team All-NBA selection Kawhi Leonard is the best player in basketball, so the Clippers need to do all they can to keep him. If he’s there’s to lose, which he is, no injury should keep them from keeping him around.
Even if the Clippers were a team that has historically attracted superstars consistently, they should still keep Leonard. It’s not every day that a team has the best player in the NBA on their roster.
It is, however, for the Clippers nowadays. They need to keep it that way.