Kawhi Leonard: New Contract Gives Clippers 'Chance' to Keep James Harden, Paul George

Kawhi Leonard is optimistic Paul George and James Harden will continue to play alongside him with the Los Angeles Clippers beyond this season.

The Clippers announced Wednesday they signed Leonard to an extension that's reportedly worth $153 million over three years, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Following a 126-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors, the five-time All-Star said he believes the new contract "gives us a change" to retain George and Harden:

George has a $48.8 million player option for 2024-25, and he'll presumably opt out in order to get a long-term payday. Harden, meanwhile, is an outright free agent after picking up his option for this season.

Leonard's extension made the priorities of he and the Clippers abundantly clear. Both sides want to keep chasing a championship with the franchise preparing to move into a new arena for the 2024-25 season. Not only that but the 32-year-old also left a little bit of money on the table.

That's something a star player does when he wants to either keep a roster together or give his team the flexibility to pursue major reinforcements. With Leonard, it would be an example of the former.

Especially with how the Clippers have turned their season around, the odds of George and Harden sticking around certainly look good.