Kawhi Leonard, Spurs Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

The San Antonio Spurs have enjoyed nearly two decades of unprecedented success centered around a superstar who never left. Kawhi Leonard, the rightful heir to Tim Duncan's throne, is ready to do the same. 

Leonard officially signed a new five-year on July 16, the Spurs announced.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported on July 8 the NBA raised its salary cap to $70 million, putting Leonard's contract extension at five years, $95.3 million, per Wojnarowski.

On paper, this all appears part of an intelligent plan to work around the NBA's salary cap. The Spurs refused to offer Leonard their five-year, $90 million designated player extension in October. That decision led some to assume San Antonio was merely preserving cap space before taking care of Leonard in the offseason,  which now looks obvious. 

Pistons star Brandon Jennings was among the many to call the contract "well deserved."

Leonard, 24, is coming off a career-best year. The San Diego State product averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47.9 percent. He was limited to 64 games due to injury, which hampered his shooting splits but did not stop him from earning his first Defensive Player of the Year award. 

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"I'm still young, I feel I can get a lot better," Leonard told reporters, per the Associated Press, via the Press Democrat. "I don't know, I'm just going to keep striving and trying to help my team win the game, hopefully I'll keep getting better."

Glimpses of Leonard's potential as an offensive player were once again on display in the playoffs. He averaged 20.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while taking a more assertive role, attempting 15.6 shots per game—five extra per night from his 2014 Finals MVP run. The Spurs ran out of gas in seven games against the Clippers, but it was yet another sign that San Antonio's future will be in good hands. 

The question—one that will be answered over the coming years—is whether Leonard will be great enough to lead San Antonio into the next generation.

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While he's shown flashes of individual brilliance, they've come in fits and starts. Leonard has never played more than 66 games in a season and spent most of the first couple of months of 2014-15 in a malaise. He was an all-world player on both ends after returning from injury, but we can't say it's a fair expectation for him to be healthy at this point. 

The Spurs will need Leonard to be a reliable two-way star to lead them into the post-Duncan era—whenever that finally comes. And for all of his postseason heroics, there are legitimate questions about his ability to do so. He tends to do worse the longer he has the ball, something the Spurs will need as their stars age. 

No one knows quite yet if Leonard can step into the other unquantifiable strata of a true superstar. Given his first four years in the league, though, the Spurs are smart to bet on his future.  

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.