San Antonio Spurs Need to Make Kawhi Leonard Next Max Contract Star Now
Whether motivated by practical reasons or symbolic ones, the San Antonio Spurs must do everything possible to lock up Kawhi Leonard immediately.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the max contract Leonard wants—the one that could quickly wipe away present and future uncertainty—isn't on offer: "As Kawhi Leonard holds firm on his desire for a maximum contract, extension talks with the San Antonio Spurs have failed to gather traction despite a looming Friday deadline."
Said deadline is Oct. 31, the point at which Leonard must either sign an extension or ticket himself for restricted free agency next summer. San Antonio will retain the ability to match any deal he signs at that point, but the reasons to get an agreement in place now are compelling.
Practical Concerns
Leonard is a 23-year-old defensive monster whose year-over-year growth indicates he's nowhere near his ceiling.
| 2011-12 | 13.2 | 1.8 | 57.3 | 13.1 |
| 2012-13 | 15.2 | 2.1 | 59.2 | 14.6 |
| 2013-14 | 17.6 | 2.8 | 60.2 | 17.0 |
The ability to control an NBA basketball game without scoring is something many veteran stars never master, but the Spurs small forward already does it. And the statistical improvement is nice, but Leonard's real value is as a gap-filler—a guy who can contribute in whatever area his team needs on a given night.
No, his numbers—12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 2013-14—don't scream maxed-out superstar. But he posted those averages as a fourth option playing under 30 minutes per game. It's crazy to assume his statistical production will top out there.
Spurs General Manger R.C. Buford has been watching Leonard exceed expectations since the team acquired him, per David Aldridge of NBA.com: "We'd be foolish to say that we knew Kawhi was going to be the player he is today," Buford said.
Even if Leonard is done getting better (he's not), you could make a very strong case he deserves a five-year, $90 million contract as is. How many players on their rookie deals emerge from an NBA Finals spent guarding LeBron James as the series' MVP?
Moreover, you can't discuss any potential contract extension without referring to the NBA's new TV deal—the one that will result in a higher salary cap at some point in the next two seasons, per Grantland's Zach Lowe.
A total investment of around $90 million sounds like a lot for Leonard, but if the cap spikes by as much as 20 percent, it might end up being a bargain.
Even ruling out the changing economic climate of the NBA, there's still the basic concept of market value. Things get even less complicated when you consider Leonard's worth relative to his peers', according to Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com: "It’s pretty simple from where I sit: "If Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons can get big money as small forwards on the open market, Kawhi Leonard is worth that as well."
Hayward signed a four-year, $63 million offer sheet with the Charlotte Hornets this summer, which the Utah Jazz quickly matched. Parsons inked his own deal with the Dallas Mavericks for three years and $46 million. Younger, already in possession of a ring and steadily improving, Leonard's value is greater than that of either of those two.
Transitions
The Spurs need Leonard to be their bridge.
Tim Duncan is set to hit free agency after this season. So are Manu Ginobili, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli.
Tony Parker re-upped through the 2017-18 campaign, but he's already 32. We shouldn't expect a player whose entire game is built on quickness to remain a star in the latter years of that deal.
In short, it's entirely possible the Spurs could become Leonard's team as soon as next season. The sheer volume of institutional knowledge and championship lessons in his head are invaluable. If the Spurs want to transport the tenets of their incredible run to another generation, Leonard is the vessel.
They can't afford to lose him.
That fact gives rise to another: The Spurs aren't in danger of losing Leonard. Failing to max him out now still gives them a chance to keep him in restricted free agency. They're in control.
But what if Leonard gets an offer sheet, like the one Parsons did, and San Antonio has to match a deal that keeps him in town for far fewer than five years? With the uncertainty surrounding the cap, isn't a short-term offer sheet (one that would get him to free agency as quickly after the cap spike as possible) be exactly the kind Leonard would want to sign?
Restricted free agency can be controlled—but not totally. The Spurs could find themselves at the mercy of another team's offer sheet. And it might result in Leonard leaving years sooner than he otherwise would have.
Plus, there's the personal angle.
Why antagonize such a valuable franchise cornerstone by dragging things out? The Spurs should want the guy who'll be bridging the gap between the last era and the next one to do it happily, right? Leonard is going to be the main attraction for other free agents (what superstar wouldn't want to play with him?), so it would behoove San Antonio to lock him up and keep him happy.
And if the Spurs' veterans all agree to stick around for one more year after this one, that's all the more reason for the front office to do what it must to keep Leonard around.
San Antonio will only need him to pick up more slack if it keeps the core together for another run in 2015-16.
A Symbolic Gesture
It's tempting to criticize Leonard for breaking with tradition by not immediately taking a discount to stay with the Spurs. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have all done it, and given his humble demeanor, maybe we thought Leonard would do it, too.
But he's absolutely within his rights to get whatever he can. And the Spurs need to show prospective free agents that they are prepared to deal fairly.
Replicating the Duncan-era run is going to be impossible for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the anomaly of a transcendent, generational superstar taking far less than his market value. The Spurs would be foolish to go on hoping that every big-name talent they acquire will be wired that way.
San Antonio has to max out Leonard to show it's ready to join the rest of the NBA in reality, that it is prepared to wake up from the dream it's been living in for almost 20 years. Other squads don't get superstar trios to take discounts. Someday, the Spurs will cease to get that special treatment.
Someday, they'll cease to be special at all.
Whenever this era ends, whenever Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich decide they're through, the Spurs will see the playing field level out for the first time in years. They'll have to compete with other teams on equal terms—both on the court and in free agency.
Maxing out Leonard now will show they understand that, and it'll mean everything for their future.
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