Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers
This is definitely going to be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason this summer, especially since nobody in Kawhi Leonard’s camp ever talks about anything relating to his contract situation and where he plans on going. Leonard himself is like a brick wall when it comes to talking about his future, but there is a ton of speculation that he could opt out of his contract with the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard has a player option for $36M next season, but if the Clippers come up short of the Western Conference Finals again and they show no progress from previous years, then Leonard could look to take his talents elsewhere.
That is a ton of money to turn down on a guaranteed contract, but Kawhi Leonard has always been about winning and if the Clippers cannot win when it matters most, he may go to a team that offers the chance to do so. One team that has flown under-the-radar when it comes to Leonard is the Miami Heat.
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While they just traded for Victor Oladipo, he is going to be a free agent this offseason as well and the Heat could definitely decline to offer him a contract in order to bring in Kawhi Leonard. They also have the financial flexibility to be able to offer Kawhi a max-contract in free agency. This would be a massive move that would definitely shake things up in the NBA, but again, a lot is going to happen between now and the time Kawhi decides on his player option.
Could he become a free agent? Absolutely, Kawhi Leonard could be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but right now, the chances are that he will remain with the Clippers. Anything can change though between now and the end of the season.
