Has Kawhi Leonard Justified Potential Max Contract?

The San Antonio Spurs cannot afford to let Kawhi Leonard be snatched away in restricted free agency. He's simply too valuable for the franchise in the future.

But does that mean the front office should offer the small forward a max contract without a second thought? Has Leonard earned it?

The answer isn't clear-cut—except it is. Confused yet?

Justifying Leonard's status as deserving of a max contract always focuses on a single aspect of the 23-year-old's game: defense. That part of his arsenal is elite, and Leonard's presence makes the Spurs a dangerous squad on both ends of the floor.

SITUATION	ORtg	eFG%	DRtg	eFG%	Split
On-Court	108.0	50.2	99.6	47.2	8.4
Off-Court	105.7	51.1	105.3	49.6	0.4

According to NBA.com, Leonard has faced 167 spot-up attempts and only surrendered 63 baskets, a meager 37.7 percent success rate. When defending post-ups, the 6'7", 225-pounder has seen 32 of 79 attempts (just 40.5 percent) fall through the net.

Ball-handlers have trudged to a horrid 30.4 percent clip against Leonard, burying 28 of 92 looks. Overall, per ESPN, he's compiled a 4.15 defensive real plus-minus—the seventh-best mark in the league—and accrued 7.48 wins above replacement—which ranks No. 25.

Leonard is one of five players to average at least 2.0 steals per outing. He showcases the ability to disrupt passing lanes and poke away a relaxed dribble in order to create transition opportunities.

And "The Claw" has racked up those numbers against some of the NBA's top talents. Damian Lillard was one victim of Leonard's length.

"When he's getting deflections, blocking shots, defensively active and talking it makes us very dangerous," teammate Danny Green said, per Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. "It picks up the energy for everybody else, so he's a big key to what our defense is."

Defensively, Leonard is worth every penny of a max contract, but does his offense solidify that value?

The fourth-year pro has slowly gained confidence on the scoring end. Leonard entered the league as little more than a complementary piece because his actual range was so limited at San Diego State.

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

However, Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland has developed Leonard into a respectable three-point threat. A 36.1 percent career clip from long distance isn't terrific, but it shows he's capable of draining a few triples.

Leonard has slowly tried to shed the "complementary" label, too. San Antonio will need someone like him to occupy a ball-handling role, particularly when Manu Ginobili retires.

During 2013-14, Leonard attempted 58.6 percent of shots within three feet of the rim or beyond the arc, according to Basketball-Reference.com. That number has tanked to 46.8 this season, since he's been more aggressive as a jump-shooter.

Leonard's accuracy has fallen since taking an increased offensive role.

Year	0-3	3-10	10-16	16-3PT	3PT
2013-14	69.4	50.5	46.8	50.5	37.9
2014-15	70.3	40.6	43.2	42.7	31.2

The widespread drop in percentages is not surprising, since it's also a product of him no longer merely roaming the perimeter. In this regard, the Spurs would be paying Leonard for what they believe he'll become, not necessarily what he's accomplished.

Has Leonard justified a max contract? Well, San Antonio need not immediately hand him a blank check. If the front office could ink Leonard to a $12 million per year deal, for example, that would be a massive victory. 

Per HoopsHype, the Spurs will have approximately $32 million in cap space this summer and $47 million before the luxury-tax threshold. Signing Leonard to a maximum contract—since San Antonio holds his Bird rights—would cost about $16 million next season and $90 million over five years.

Is Leonard worth it? Individually, probably not. Plus, the Spurs would certainly benefit from having more money to spread among Green, Cory Joseph, Aron Baynes and possible returns from Tim Duncan and/or Ginobili.

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But the market sets the price. Players are typically not paid what their theoretical value would be in a perfect world. Franchises around the league with cap space—the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, for example—could surely spare a few extra million on an offer sheet to Leonard.

For San Antonio, that difference should ultimately be both negligible and irrelevant. Leonard's defensive prowess and offensive potential are far too important to battle over $3 million per year.

As seen via Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News, Gregg Popovich appears to be planning on the 2014 NBA Finals MVP being back in the silver and black next season.

"Kawhi is going to be the most talented kid on the team...unless we come up with somebody somewhere who is going to be more talented. But I don't think we're going to."

San Antonio cannot afford to let Leonard accept another offer—no matter the cost, no matter if he's completely justified a max contract. "The most talented kid on the team" is simply too valuable to lose.

Without him, the Spurs will be losing for a long time.

Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of March 9.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.