Kawhi Leonard, Paul George Clippers Contract Extensions Discussed by Lawrence Frank

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George only have one more guaranteed year left on their contracts, but the Los Angeles Clippers hope to keep their two stars around well into the future.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was asked about potentially offering Leonard and George contract extensions this offseason.

"We want to keep them as Clippers for a long time," he told reporters.

Both players are eligible to sign deals worth up to $220 million over four years. They are set to earn $45.6 million next season under their contracts that include player options worth $48.8 million in 2024-25.

This could be an important offseason for the Clippers that determines the long-term direction of the franchise. Team governor Steve Ballmer is set to pay $375 million next season between payroll and luxury-tax penalties.

Los Angeles doesn't have a starting point guard under contract for next season. Frank did say the team wants to bring Russell Westbrook back after he signed a one-year deal in February.

Leonard and George have struggled to stay on the court because of injuries since joining the Clippers before the 2019-20 season. They have combined to miss 282 games between the regular season and playoffs.

George missed the final 14 games this season, including the entire first-round series against the Phoenix Suns, due to a sprained knee. Leonard sat out the final three games against the Suns because of a knee injury that was revealed to be a torn meniscus.

It's the second consecutive year Leonard has missed multiple playoff games because of a knee injury. He sat out the entire 2021-22 campaign recovering from a torn ACL.

The Clippers have a plus-10.4 net rating in 3,662 minutes with George and Leonard on the floor together since the 2019-20 season, per PBP Stats. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2021 after Leonard tore his ACL in Game 4 of the semifinal series against the Utah Jazz.

With better injury luck for Leonard and George, the Clippers have the pieces to win a championship.

As long as Ballmer is willing to keep betting on that duo to lead the franchise, there's no reason for the Clippers to delay getting extensions done with Leonard and George.