During the 2023-24 NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard to a contract extension, which added another three years to his deal and potentially has him retiring with the franchise if he chooses to walk away once that contract expires.
With the Clippers taking care of Leonard with a long-term deal even though he’s been unreliable due to injuries, the consensus was that fellow star Paul George would get a similar extension, but that didn’t happen as he left to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Although George also had his fair share of injury issues during his five-year stint with the Clippers, he was more reliable than Leonard in terms of availability.
That didn’t seem to matter to the Clippers brass as they were okay with letting George walk away, leaving Leonard to play with James Harden, who recently signed a two-year extension of his own with the Clippers.
Leonard’s next order of business was playing with Team USA in an attempt to win gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics, but things took a turn for the worse, as always seems to be the case with the two-time NBA champion.
Leonard will miss the upcoming Paris Olympics after practicing with the team for a few days in Las Vegas, which prompted a reaction from NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, via ClutchPoints.
Kendrick Perkins’ reaction to Kawhi Leonard not playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics 😅
(via @KendrickPerkins) pic.twitter.com/eV9e8za9Jk
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 10, 2024
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns had been the primary injury concern for Team USA, as he has been battling a calf strain and is unable to practice and will miss Wednesday’s tune-up game against Team Canada in Las Vegas.
As for Leonard, this is just another indication that the end of his basketball career might be drawing near, as he is finding it harder and harder to stay healthy.
