“As the face of the franchise, Kawhi Leonard deserves a pay cut”: Stephen A Smith slams Clippers star for his ‘load management’ and how much it cost the team

ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith talks about Kawhi Leonard and his contract with the Clippers believes the star should have been given a pay cut

When one thinks of top players in the league, Kawhi Leonard pops up on everyone’s list, without a doubt. Kawhi has been one of the most consistent performers in the league for quite some time now. He has won two NBA championships, one with the San Antonio Spurs, and one with the Toronto Raptors. Kawhi is a 2x NBA Finals MVP and a 2x NBA DPOY.

Recently, Leonard inked a 4 year, $176.3 million deal with the Clippers.

Source: Kawhi Leonard is signing a four-year, $176.3 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 12, 2021

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While it’s a great deal, some believe Kawhi did not deserve all that money. Stephen A Smith is one of those people.

Stephen A Smith believes Kawhi Leonard should have been given a pay cut

In his recent episode of First Take, Stephen A Smith talks about Kawhi Leonard and his new contract with the Clippers. There, Smith starts by saying Kawhi Leonard is probably the Top 5,6 player in the league. He then follows it by talking about the achievements Kawhi has. Stephen A then talks about how as a talent he believes Kawhi deserves way more than this.

However, Smith then talks about the role Kawhi has. As the face of the team, Leonard cannot be sitting 20 or more games per season without injuries. Smith then continues and says as the face of the Clippers, Leonard deserves a pay cut.

.@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

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In the end, Stephen A talked about how Kawhi cost his organizations a couple of championships, namely the Spurs and the Clippers.

Whatever Stephen A may say, Kawhi Leonard deserves this money and much more. He is a special player who has proven his worth time and again, and hopefully would bring the ultimate glory to the Clippers in his term with them.