NBA Rumors: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George 'Want to Be in LA' amid Clippers Contract Buzz

Los Angeles Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both have player options for the 2024-25 season, but they reportedly want to stay put.

"As far as I know, those guys want to be in Los Angeles," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported (33-minute mark) while suggesting the Clippers will have some leverage in any contract discussions because of that reality.

At this point, it is difficult to classify the George and Leonard pairing as a success given the sky-high expectations that were in place when the Clippers paired them together ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Leonard was coming off a championship run with the Toronto Raptors, while George was widely considered one of the best two-way players in the league. Anything short of a championship could be seen as a disappointment.

Yet Los Angeles has made it past the second round of the playoffs just once in four years, and that was when it lost in the 2021 Western Conference Finals.

The main reason the Clippers have fallen short of expectations is injuries, as Leonard didn't play in the 2021 Western Conference Finals and then missed the entire 2021-22 campaign. He is yet to play more than 57 games in a season for the Clippers.

George hasn't played more than 56 games in a season for Los Angeles.

The question both the team and star players will be facing after this season is how long of a commitment they want to make to each other if they do not win a championship once again in 2023-24.

Leonard, 32, and George, 33, may not have that many years of peak performance remaining, especially given their injury histories. Opting into the $48.8 million player option they both have may be the best path for the stars if there isn't that much money available on the open market, but Windhorst reported they both want to remain in Los Angeles.

That might mean smaller contracts in the summer of 2025 to stay put unless there is more team success in the immediate future.