The Portland Trail Blazers are set to begin their season on Wednesday night with a very different team than the one that was the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs last year. Portland will be going with a much younger lineup this season, including a few guys with big-time potential, one of whom is Meyers Leonard. Leonard is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and although there is only a week left to negotiate one it is being reported that talks are set to intensify, according to Jason Quick of CSN Northwest.
Leonard's extension situation is an interesting one to look at because he is set to have the biggest year of his career this season and could cash in should he wait until restricted free agency next season. But he also likely wants financial stability. The Blazers likely want to pay him for what he has done so far in his NBA career despite the fact that they have a lot of future cap room, and they believe Leonard will have a big time season.
As it stands, Leonard is set to make a little more than $3 million this season, and if the Blazers want to, they can make him a qualifying offer next season for about $4.2 million. Based on the reports, it is unknown whether this deal will get done, but the process is not expected to be a long one. It is expected that Neil Olshey, Blazers president of basketball operations, will make an offer to Leonard's representation, and if they can't agree quickly they will wait until next summer to work something out.
By waiting until next summer, the Blazers would be able to save even more cap room for potential outside free agents, but they also risk letting other teams set the price for Leonard. If Leonard has a big-time season, like many expect, that price could be much higher than it would be if they reached an agreement now.
Leonard is likely to start for the Blazers this season at power forward after three years of being the backup center. So far in his career he has only started 16 games, but based on his play at the end of last season and this preseason he seems ready for the role. Leonard averaged 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from three during the preseason in just 24.7 minutes per game. The Blazers have until Nov. 2 to work out a deal with Leonard, and if they don't he will become a very intriguing restricted free agent next summer.
