There are plenty of questions surrounding what the roster of the San Antonio Spurs will look like next season, but the franchise is somewhat secure in knowing that its best player isn’t going anywhere.
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are in the final years of their respective deals, and retirement at the conclusion of this season remains a real possibility for each. Danny Green will also be an unrestricted free agent, and its unclear whether or not the Spurs will be willing to go as high for his services as others might once he hits the open market.
Kawhi Leonard, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, will be a restricted free agent this summer, which means the Spurs can match any offer he may receive. While there would be no shortage of teams lining up to sign Leonard to a four-year max offer sheet that would force San Antonio’s hand, he’s not planning to go that route, mainly because he won’t have to.
From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:For now, there’s no scenario where Leonard plans to pursue offer sheets on the market, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Leonard wants to be a Spur, and the Spurs are expected to come calling on July 1 with the max offer that they resisted delivering Leonard in the preseason, a move born out of preserving cap space to bring on a star free agent this summer.
There were plenty of legitimate reasons that the Spurs didn’t extend Leonard before the season began, and he was never upset with how things played out.
Leonard will almost certainly sign a five-year max deal to stay in San Antonio this summer, and while just about anyone else would love to try to steal him away with an offer sheet, it appears as though no other team will get that chance.