Kawhi Leonard is the top name slated to potentially hit free agency this summer, but there is no expectation he will leave the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Klaw has a $36 million player option for the 2021-22 season he will almost certainly decline so as to garner another larger, multiyear contract. However, Sam Amick and John Hollinger of The Athletic report the general consensus around the NBA is Leonard will re-sign with the Clippers:

Yet barring a dramatic turn of events in these coming months, it’s looking like this Leonard free agency will be decidedly less dramatic. While this league has certainly taught us to expect the unexpected, the truth is that Leonard is still widely, well, expected to re-sign with the Clippers. As it stands, that’s the word from Clippers sources and rival executives alike.

Kawhi Leonard's decision to sign with the Clippers was motivated in part by a desire to return home and team up with Paul George.

Los Angeles already locked up one half of its core by signing George to an extension this past winter. It seems unlikely the Clippers would let Leonard get away.

A lot can happen between now and this summer. Maybe LA will suffer another embarrassing playoff collapse, prompting Leonard to question his future with the organization. But Kawhi means everything to the franchise.

Leonard is averaging 25.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists through his first 43 games, shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from beyond the arc and also averaging 1.8 steals per game. He ranks third in Win Shares per 48 minutes.

The Clippers cannot really afford to let Kawhi Leonard walk considering they have a real shortage of draft assets and are committed to winning now. Rival executives do not seem to feel they will even have a chance to land him this summer.