NBA Rumors: Dame trade heating up, Kawhi-George future, Klay extension
- Where will Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and Paul George end up?
- What a Klay Thompson extension could look like
- Damian Lillard trade rumors are gaining steam ahead of training camp
By Kristen Wong
NBA Rumors: Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George want to stay in L.A.
Amid rumors that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George may leave the Clippers, one NBA analyst suggested otherwise.
Leonard and George, the Clippers' darling duo, have achieved very little success in recent years largely due to injuries. As a result, some speculated that the pair could break up and perhaps find new starts, rewriting their own narratives elsewhere.
On Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said he believes both Leonard and George will stay in L.A. because they want to be there. Windhorst said, "As far as I know, those guys want to be in Los Angeles."
If that's true, the Clippers may hold additional leverage in each player's future deals. Leonard and George could re-sign with the Clippers on deals worth up to $220 million over four years, or they could become free agents next summer.
With both stars being on the wrong side of 30, Leonard and George could potentially seek more lucrative deals in the open market; however, Windhorst believes that in terms of player preferences, both would like to stay in Los Angeles.
The Clippers have hardly seen the two together on the court for long with Leonard missing the entire 2021-22 season and George struggling with injuries for the last four years.
Those two players' futures are far from certain, but if what Windhorst says is true, they may make it work in L.A. after all.