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Woj: 'Don't Sense' Kawhi Leonard Leaves Clippers to Sign Heat Contract Despite Rumors
May 18, 2021
Kawhi Leonard is hoping to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to an NBA title this postseason, but the five-time All-Star's future is becoming a source of discussion since he can opt out of his current contract this summer.
On the latest episode of The Woj Pod (starts at 41:50 mark), ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported he "doesn't sense" that Leonard will leave the Clippers amid rumors he could join the Miami Heat.
After the NBA trade deadline on March 25, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on The Jump that the Heat's midseason moves to acquire Victor Oladipo, Trevor Ariza and Nemanja Bjelica left them with flexibility for the summer to pursue Leonard since none of those three players is under contract past this season.
Windhorst did note that it would take "some kind of miracle" for Leonard to decide he wants to leave the Clippers.
The free-agent class of 2021 has been decimated by several superstars who could have hit the open market deciding to sign new deals.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert and Jrue Holiday are among the players who have signed extensions.
Leonard has a $36 million player option on his current deal for the 2021-22 season. The expectation is that he will opt out and sign a new contract with his hometown team after signing with the club as a free agent in the summer of 2019.
George, who also had a player option on his previous contract, signed a four-year, $190 million extension in December.
The Clippers have gone 96-48 in two seasons with Leonard and George as their top two players. Leonard has averaged 26 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 109 games since the start of 2019-20.