Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers dropped a surprise on Wednesday night. The franchise announced that the two-time Finals MVP recently signed a three-year, $152.4 million extension with the team. expected to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent this offseason despite being eligible to sign a $161 million extension with the Clippers. However, the five-time All-Star gave his team an $8.5 million discount, something Gilbert Arenas lauded him for recently.
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On the latest episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast, the retired NBA star explained:
“When a guy signs an extension with a team, it’s cheaper than versus when he opts out.”
The $8.5 million Leonard left on the table will help the team build a more competent roster around Leonard and give him more weapons to work with as he tries to lead the Clippers to their first NBA title. The podcast crew added that Leonard committing his future to the team will smoothen the team’s extension talks with Paul George, who has a player option for next season and is expected to opt out to sign an extension as well.
With James Harden hitting free agency in the offseason and Russell Westbrook having a player option, the odds of the Clippers retaining all four All-Stars next season are low. However, Arenas believes Leonard’s decision to give up $8.5 million and stay with the team could implore the other three superstars to follow suit and run it back with the same core next season.
Especially given the culture around the team at the moment, Arenas’s theory is certainly a realistic one. That said, whether or not all the stars on the roster will follow suit still remains to be seen. However, if the Clippers can indeed pull it off, this franchise could be the favorites to win the NBA championship come next season.
Clippers’ resurgence with their ‘Big 4’
The Los Angeles Clippers landed James Harden in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in early November and formed a quartet of future Hall of Famers. However, they got off to a horrendous start together, losing their first six games as teammates.
With the team in dire straits, Russell Westbrook made the selfless decision to ask the team to bring him off the bench. The move worked wonders. The Clippers went 5-3 over their next eight games before ripping off nine straight wins. They lost two on the trot in Kawhi Leonard’s absence due to a hip contusion but returned to winning ways soon after. They are now 7-1 over their last eight games and have climbed to fourth in the Western Conference standings. The team is only two games behind Conference leaders, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Clippers have the fourth-best net rating in the league and are looking among the dangerous teams in the West. This is their final season sharing a home stadium with cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. They will move into their new home, the $2 billion Intuit Arena, in the fall of 2024. If they continue on their current trajectory, they will open their new arena by hanging a championship banner, a feat they’ve never accomplished in their 54 years in the NBA.
