Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard Will Be In San Antonio ‘Long-Term’

The San Antonio Spurs have until October 31 to re-sign Kawhi Leonard. If they don’t, he can become a free agent in 2015. However, he is expected to remain with San Antonio long-term.

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The San Antonio Spurs know they are going to have to pony up in order to keep swingman Kawhi Leonard.

Kawhi Leonard was fantastic in the Spurs’ 4-1 series victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals and was named MVP. Now, the Spurs have until October 31 to lock down an extension with Kawhi Leonard or he will become a restricted free agent in 2015.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that whether or not they extend him now, Kawhi Leonard will be with the Spurs long-term.

"The Spurs, though, have already been to the NBA mountaintop, which puts them in a more secure position than the Warriors. Leonard’s determination to keep a Spurs-ian low profile, furthermore, makes him look born for San Antonio as much as any Spur we’ve seen since that Timothy Theodore Duncan fellow. With Leonard, whether a deal gets done now or takes until summer, you really have to twist yourself into a pretzel to imagine a scenario where he isn’t in South Texas for the long term."

With their three stars, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, only getting older, Kawhi Leonard looks like the future of the Spurs’ franchise, so locking him down is key. Kawhi Leonard is actually best served by waiting until the offseason in order to ask for a bigger, longer deal, potentially a five-year max contract.

Kawhi Leonard averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 52.2% from the field, 37.9% from beyond the arc and 80.2% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, he put up 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the floor, 41.9% from three and 73.6% from the charity stripe.

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