The Halloween deadline is drawing near but the San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard are still not close in forging a new contract extension. Leonard and his camp are reportedly holding on a max-level contract according to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports but no progress has been made in negotiations creating speculations that the Spurs forward might be heading for restricted free agency:
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, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, would become a restricted free agent in July without an extension agreement by midnight Oct. 31 - the deadline for eligible extensions for the NBA's draft class of 2011.
Spurs president and general manager R.C. Buford and agent Brian Elfus have had several discussions in recent weeks, but no progress has been made, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Spurs have the money to offer Leonard a five-year maximum contract that could come in the form of $90 million or $18 million per year, depending on how high the NBA salary cap reaches in 2015-16. Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk estimates that the contract could go around the $91 million figure. The Spurs also hold Leonard's Bird rights which means that they can still offer him the five-year max extension that he seeks next summer when he becomes a restricted free agent, per Dime Magazine:
If San Antonio wanted to give Kawhi the max he seeks as an extension, they could sign him to a five-year, $90 million-plus extension before the Oct. 31 deadline. That's if the Spurs are willing to make him their designated player, which is the only way to offer that fifth year. San Antonio could also sign Leonard to a fifth year in restricted free agency next summer, the only team - with his Bird rights - who can do so.
Is Leonard worth a maximum-contract? Does San Antonio see him as their next franchise player after Tim Duncan retires? We will know the answer to such questions sooner or later when a new contract deal becomes official.
Join the Conversation