The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon. Leonard is now under contract with the Clippers through the 2026-27 season after agreeing to this three-year, $152.4 million extension, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Leonard, 32, who is in his fifth season with the Clippers, has been one of the faces of the franchise alongside Paul George since they arrived ahead of the 2019-20 season. Los Angeles did not want to run the risk of losing their two-way star in free agency given that he owned a player option on his contract for the 2024-25 season, which is one of the main reasons for Leonard's extension.
Ahead of the start of the 2023-24 season, Leonard spoke about contract negotiations with the team, making it clear that there was no bad blood and that neither side was rushing anything. As a result, it became a lot clearer that Kawhi was not going to be leaving Los Angeles.
Playing in 193 games to this point with the Clippers, Leonard has averaged 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the floor and 40.2 percent from three-point range. Despite missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to an ACL injury, Leonard has remained one of the best two-way players in the entire league. This season, Leonard has been instrumental to Los Angeles' success, which is one of the reasons why he is involved in the MVP chatter.
“We're thrilled to to continue our relationship with Kawhi,” President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said in the team's press release. “He is an elite player, a terrific partner and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority. He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”
Leonard, a five-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion, is just one of 12 players in league history with multiple Finals MVPs. With the Clippers, Kawhi has gone to the playoffs in three different seasons, reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history in 2021, the postseason in which Leonard suffered his ACL injury.
If there was any doubt that Leonard would opt out of his contract at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, all of that is now thrown out the window with the star forward agreeing to this contract extension. Now, the Clippers turn their attention to Paul George, who has the same contract situation as Leonard. George and the Clippers have continued extension talks, as the team wants to get both stars lined up on new, long-term contracts, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
It is important to note that James Harden, wo the Clippers acquired this season, is ineligible to sign a new contract with the team until the offseason.
After agreeing to a new contract extension with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers will relocate to their new arena in Inglewood, California for the 2024-25 season with the star remaining one of the focal points of the franchise.
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