San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is eligible for a contract extension before the Oct. 31 deadline. Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis reported it doesn't seem like contract negotiations have begun, but doubts it will pose a problem because of Leonard's character - he's more concerned about winning than money.
Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, is eligible to receive a five-year max extension from San Antonio. While Leonard is expected to be a key part of the Spurs' roster in the post-Duncan era, Koutroupis doesn't believe contract discussions have even started.
"I doubt Kawhi has even been involved in the negotiations at this point," Koutroupis wrote Thursday. "He's about as singular focused as any player I've ever seen in my near-decade of covering this game. He lives a humble, modest lifestyle and just wants to win.
"Someone tweeted me that the local news in S.A. is reporting that the Spurs may wait to extend Kawhi in order to have max cap space to work with this offseason. However, I don't think that's very fair to Kawhi, who has earned a max extension in my mind, and considering what's going to be out there on the market anyway. Even if Kawhi's deal comes in at $14 million in one year, they're still going to have plenty of money to go after other top free agents, and be able to go over the cap to extend Duncan/Ginobili, assuming they want to return."
As a comparison for market value, Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried recently signed a four-year extension worth $50 million.
One thing to watch for is how the NBA's announcement of its new multi-billion annual television deal impacts Leonard's contract talks. A lockout after the 2016-17 season appears inevitable, and with the league making more money, the NBPA is expected to argue for a more player-friendly Collective Bargaining Agreement. A possible scenario, then, is Leonard taking a shorter contract that would allow him to opt out in time to cash in with the new CBA in 2017.
Leonard is unlikely to leave the Spurs. If San Antonio does wish to extend him now, though, they have until Oct. 31. Otherwise Leonard becomes a restricted free agent in July.
