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Lawn mowers Star Kawhi Leonard Turns down his $ 36 million player option for the 2021/22 season and will become an unrestricted free agent, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Today was the deadline for Leonard’s option decision.
The opt-out comes as no surprise – the move was overdue since Leonard signed his three-year contract with Los Angeles in 2019, and that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the Clippers. Speaking last December on the status of his contract, Kawhi admitted that “the best decision” from a financial point of view would be to decline his option.
Of course, when Leonard made these comments at the start of the 2020/21 season, he included a caveat: “If I am in good health. This is not the case, as he recently had surgery to repair a partial tear in his right ACL. There is a fear that the double MVP of the Finals could miss some or even all of the 21/22 campaign.
Still, even taking that injury into account, the withdrawal makes the most sense for Leonard, who will receive a new maximum-wage contract despite not being ready to play this fall. He now has 10 years of NBA experience under his belt, which means he can increase his salary for next season to 35% of the cap – a planned maximum of $ 39.3 million – and possibly lock in a few more years.
While the Mavericks and a handful of other teams are expected to kick Leonard’s tires, the Clippers are seen as the big favorites to sign him in a new deal, as confirmed by Haynes.
The clips only hold the Early Bird rights to Leonard, which will limit the team to a four-year offering (estimated to be worth $ 176.3 million). If he wants to maximize his income in the long run, Kawhi could sign a one-plus-one deal this offseason, then step down again next summer to sign a new one. five-Year of contract with the Clippers once they have all their Bird rights.
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