Kawhi Leonard is entering the final year of a $50.3 million contract, and the Clippers may have to decide whether to push for a pay cut extension or test the trade market. That puts one of the league’s best two-way players on a short list of major summer decisions for LA.
Tim MacMahon laid out the split plainly: if there is going to be an extension, there will have to be legitimate negotiations, and Leonard would have to take a pay cut to stay in place. He put the choice down to two real options: extend him with a pay cut or explore the trade market.
Tim MacMahon on Kawhi Leonard
“My understanding is if there’s going to be an extension, there’s going to be some legitimate negotiations. This isn’t just, ‘Can you take a little haircut?’ He’s going to have to take a pay cut, I believe, to extend with the Clippers. So, we’ll see. I think it’s extend him with a pay cut or explore the trade market. I think those are the two real options.”
That framework matters because it narrows the discussion to price and leverage. Leonard is not facing a routine update to his deal; he is facing a decision on whether the Clippers want him enough at a reduced number to keep him beyond this contract.
Leonard's recent production
The contract question comes after Leonard posted one of the strongest seasons of his 14 year career. He averaged 27.9 points, ranked sixth in scoring, and finished with a 62.9 percent true shooting rate.
His shooting profile was as efficient as the scoring line. He hit 50.5 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from long distance range, and 89.2 percent from the foul line. That is the baseline the Clippers have to price against if they want him to stay.
Houston and the trade market
The Houston Rockets have been mentioned as a team that could explore a trade for Leonard, and Ime Udoka’s preference for players who work hard on both ends and maximize possessions fits his profile. Leonard’s two-way value is what makes him attractive in that lane.
Steve Ballmer may not want to go down that road, which leaves the Clippers with a more complicated choice than a simple extension offer. If the number does not come down, the trade market sits there as the other real path, and that puts Leonard’s $50.3 million final year at the center of the summer.
