Report: Kawhi Leonard holding out for max, extension talks with Spurs stalled
Oct 27, 2014, 1:53 AM EDT
Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Leonard is the NBA Finals MVP and a guy Gregg Popovich has called the future of the Spurs. Sounds like the kind of guy who would warrant a max contract extension to his rookie contract.
That’s what he wants, but Leonard and the Spurs are nowhere close on extension talks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Which means he could be a restricted free agent next summer
As Kawhi Leonard holds firm on his desire for a maximum contract, extension talks with the San Antonio Spurs have failed to gather traction despite a looming Friday deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports….
Spurs president and general manager R.C. Buford and agent Brian Elfus have had several discussions in recent weeks, but no progress has been made, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
It’s pretty simple from where I sit: If Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons can get big money as small forwards on the open market, Kawhi Leonard is worth that as well. He has every right to demand the Spurs offer five years, $90 million. Leonard averaged 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds last season, then upped that to 14.3 points and 6.7 points in the playoffs — in the last three games of the Finals he had better than 20 points a night plus covered LeBron James.
The Spurs have been the masters of getting guys to take less — Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and others — but this is Leonard’s first big contract after his rookie deal. This early in your career you don’t take pay cuts, that’s for the veterans.
Several other teams would step up with max offers (for four year, according to Wojnarowski, but I really wonder if that is true — everyone knows the Spurs would simply match the offer, so why tie up $15 million a year in cash when teams know they aren’t going to get the player? (Once Leonard signs the offer sheet that team can’t spend that money until the Spurs match, a process that can take up to three days. That’s an eternity in the hight of the free agent frenzy of July.) This is the situation that kept Eric Bledsoe without an offer from another team for much of the summer (although there is more of a demand for good small of as opposed to point guards).
Bottom line, there is zero chance the Spurs let Leonard go, the only question is how much they pay him.
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- apkyletexas - Oct 27, 2014 at 2:14 AM
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Simple. Let him go get a max offer, let some other top team squirm for 3 days, ruining their chances in free agency by tying up their money, then match it. Kill two birds with one stone. Hurt a competitor while still retaining your guy at the price you were going to give him anyway. Under the current rules, I don’t see why you wouldn’t do it that way.
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- mcmystery76 - Oct 27, 2014 at 6:54 AM
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Because like the writer speculates, similar to the Bledsoe situation, it is unlikely a team would make an offer since they know the Spurs would match it, thus tying up cap space for the three days and hurting their chances with other free agents that you know, they actually have a chance to sign. Go back to playing The Association on 2k.
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- hannah20ford - Oct 27, 2014 at 8:00 AM
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Max Contract & Max Extension are different. Lets be honest. Spurs will be in rebuild mode when Duncan and Ginobili retire. Have you seen the spurs in the regular season without Leonard? If I was Kawhi I would wait for the max or walk away with a better offer from another team. Basketball careers are unpredictable and you have to get paid while you are young and in your prime. Look at Meeks, Parsons, Hayward and Lowry. Be smart Kawhi. Klay is going to get a max soon too.
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- rationalfootballfan - Oct 27, 2014 at 2:16 AM
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It’s crazy this seems so unlike his personality and mannerisms haha, can’t blame him though seeing subpar and mediocre guys around the league getting max and near-max deals. His numbers aren’t gaudy but in the Spurs’ system nobody will average huge numbers over the season, I’m sure if he was the focal point on a lesser team his averages would be a lot higher. Regardless I want him in SA for a long time! #GSG
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- nfl4days - Oct 27, 2014 at 2:19 AM
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Nice trade Indiana. SMH.
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- campcouch - Oct 27, 2014 at 3:09 AM
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Hayward and Parsons got paid because two owners were willing to retain and obtain their services. Compared to those two, Leonard should get equal to and greater compensation, but is that the San Antonio way? Does he project to be worth close to that without ever playing in 82 games in a season and a career 10/5/1 average? Sure,since he has improved every year in, but 5 for 90 is a lot for a guy who isn’t even a primary or secondary, unless Pop plans on lessening Manu and Duncan’s touches. Then they have to consider if he can step into that role once TD and Ginobli call it quits. Owners and GMs have some hard thinking to do when doling out that type of cash for a player, even one with a Finals MVP. Good luck to both parties involved.
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- mrphotograph94 - Oct 27, 2014 at 3:34 AM
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“It’s pretty simple from where I sit: If Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons can get big money as small forwards on the open market, Kawhi Leonard is worth that as well.” Well neither of those guys are worth that kind of money. Both their contracts are worth more than what LeBron got paid last year which is just crazy. But desperate teams (Utah) will do anything, and Dallas really wanted to make a splash that they’ve been trying to do for years.
As for the Spurs, I wouldn’t surprised if they offered him a max since Pop has said that Kawhi is the future of the franchise and has that potential. But he doesn’t play like a max contract guy. In my opinion, the only players that should have max contracts are the megastars. As a GM I’d let people walk if they didn’t deserve the kind of money they wanted, it just keeps my options open for other free agents.
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- mistereddie - Oct 27, 2014 at 4:11 AM
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First off, why bring LeBron into this? Second, LeBron got paid way more last year than what either of those guys will make, and when you add in endorsements, LBJ made a stupid amount more. Get off people’s nuts.
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- mrphotograph94 - Oct 27, 2014 at 2:24 PM
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I bring LeBron into this to show a contracts worth. You really think Hayward & Parsons are worth more than LeBron? Had the same been for Kevin Durant I would have used him as an example. And endorsements aren’t contract related so there’s no place in this convo for them. So maybe you should learn more about basketball rather than bringing up something you really have no idea about.
LeBron, Durant, Howard, Harden, Curry, Wall, Rose, Irving, George are max contract players. Hayward and Parsons are nowhere near that level, and at this point Kawhi isn’t either.
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- followxnotking - Oct 27, 2014 at 5:05 AM
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I agree. I think max should be for 25/10 guys at his position. I understand the Spurs are team oriented first and superstars come as a result. Nonetheless, their previous stars were big-time players when they received big contracts. Why arent people learning from other teams about giving out big contracts and how that works out?
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- Kurt Helin - Oct 27, 2014 at 10:46 AM
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Duncan and Parker have already had massive contracts and made their money, it’s different if they take less than Kawhi early in his career.
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 27, 2014 at 5:15 AM
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GD!! Max for a #@*!&$ ROLE PLAYER?!?!? WTF has the NBA become!??
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- nfl4days - Oct 27, 2014 at 5:32 AM
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The spurs have already said Kawhi is the future of the franchise. He showed a lot in those finals, especially considering he’s only 23 Years old. Popovich is probably the best in the league at eyeing talent, and he has a lot of trust in this guy. He’s far from a “role player”
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 27, 2014 at 6:37 AM
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12.8 and 6.2 is a ROLE PLAYER no matter how you slice it bub. He did an AMAZING job in the Finals and that’s how he’s earned his Finals MVP, but put him on any other team that could use the help (SAC, BOS), would he elevate them to even just the playoffs alone??
I like Leonard alot, but he’s really just a glorified 3rd banana. Max players should be guys that can lead a team, put up ridiculous numbers consistently, and automatically make you a contender just with their presence alone (LeBron, KD).
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 27, 2014 at 6:51 AM
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You know what this reminds me of?…Let’s just switch Leonard and Andre Iguodala’s career paths…
Let’s put KL on the same Sixers team that AI first arrived on and let’s put AI on the Spurs when KL first got there.
Now remember Philly COULDN’T WAIT to dump Iggy and his contract. Iggy did more then Kawhi when he was Kawhi’s age. Sometimes its just all about fit and the pieces already in place to help you succeed that does the trick and changes the perception of your value. Believe me, if Iggy was on the Spurs at 24 they would have thought he was “the future of the franchise” as well.
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- sportsfan18 - Oct 27, 2014 at 8:16 AM
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malt
you’re exactly right. spot on sir.
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- ecnuob51 - Oct 27, 2014 at 8:22 AM
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Have you not been paying attention to the NBA?? It doesn’t matter what you think he’s worth you don’t matter. If the market is showing that guys with far less talent than kawhi are getting max than he’s worth the max. Tell me the last ROLE player that won a finals mvp…
Everyone on the Spurs is a role player
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- campcouch - Oct 27, 2014 at 9:07 AM
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Malt gets an extra thumbs up for sounding like Wolverine.
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- spursareold - Oct 27, 2014 at 1:00 PM
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00 – The fact is that Iggy GOT the contract with numbers very similar to Kawhi’s over their first 3 years. Even if he stiffs, getting rid of a MAX contract in today’s NBA dollars will be easy in 3-4 years when the new TV deal kicks in and we get a whole new definition of overpaid players. I don’t see him stiffing though, and for one reason: San Antonio is a better organization and system than Philly was when Iggy got paid.
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 28, 2014 at 2:09 AM
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@spursareold
I think you missed the point altogether my dude.
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- worldbfree4me - Oct 27, 2014 at 7:38 AM
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2015 NBA FINALS: Spurs in 5 vs OKC! Place your wagers now!!
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- edon8334 - Oct 27, 2014 at 7:45 AM
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maybe western conference finals, but i have Thunder or clippers beating the spurs if they meet
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- raidmagic - Oct 27, 2014 at 7:50 AM
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How are the Spurs going to play the Thunder in the finals if they are both in the western conference?
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 27, 2014 at 10:50 AM
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Gotta be a joke or troll or something but you can’t be serious.
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- ebecks34 - Oct 27, 2014 at 11:18 AM
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No way, this year will be Bulls x Cavs
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- jbeagles23 - Oct 27, 2014 at 8:40 AM
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The difference is its the spurs and not a franchise just looking to make a splash. The spurs are what every franchise wants to be and they didn’t get there by handing out max contracts to yes a role player. Parker, Duncan and Manu aren’t going to be around forever and once they leave us Leonard a guy that will have them in contention talk every year? I don’t think so
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- harshedmellow - Oct 27, 2014 at 9:19 AM
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Leonard has “it”. And as they keep saying around here, the TV money inbound will change everything. Max today will be looking pretty good in a few years.
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- spursareold - Oct 27, 2014 at 9:48 AM
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The fact is, the Spurs don’t want to sign Kawhi to ANY extension right now. That would throw a wrench into their cap room for next year, since he would count at his new salary figure instead of his 15th overall pick cap hold.
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- mendenhallfumblemachine - Oct 27, 2014 at 11:55 AM
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Yeah take the max or go somewhere else Kawhi. Argue that he’s a role player this or that but he’s way better than a guy like Gordon Hayward and he got the max. Someone will give it to him.
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- mrhonorama - Oct 27, 2014 at 1:43 PM
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If Leonard blossoms and becomes a star level talent, would the extension look like a bargain move once the salary cap goes up big time due to the new TV money?
