The Los Angeles Clippers made headlines recently after locking up Kawhi Leonard to a gargantuan contract. This despite the fact that the 2-time Finals MVP was weeks removed from ACL surgery that could potentially keep him out for the entire next season.
The $176 million gamble the Clippers made was polarizing to some, especially considering the knee surgery that could very well linger. One voice that weighed in was First Take's Stephen A. Smith, who sounded off against LAC's decision.
“He forced himself out of San Antonio. He goes to Toronto. Yeah, they won the chip. He missed 22 games that year. He moves he goes on to the Clippers, and misses 25 games the next year. This past year, he missed 20 of the 72 games.
It's not that I don't prioritize [winning the title], but I also believe you get paid to show up for the regular season games, too. There's customers that walk through the turnstiles looking for you. Far more often than should be the case, they don't see Kawhi Leonard.”
.@stephenasmith thinks Kawhi Leonard actually deserved a pay cut from the Clippers.
"I could make the legitimate argument that he's cost a couple of [his teams] a championship." pic.twitter.com/O5lOsTmFL5
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 13, 2021
Smith would go on to say that if based solely on talent, Kawhi Leonard probably deserves more than the $176 million he's slated to receive from the Clippers. But he claims that the reality of being the face of the franchise goes beyond just talent and showing up for the playoffs.
“As somebody who's the face of the franchise that you need to trust to elevate your franchise, to market and promote your franchise, that man deserves a pay cut.”
Certainly a controversial take from a very often controversial figure. The Los Angeles Clippers could very well have been the team to win it all this season had Kawhi Leonard not succumbed to injury in the postseason. Had that happened, everyone would be singing a vastly different tune, including Stephen A. Smith.
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