Stephen A. Smith isn’t convinced that bringing a championship to the Los Angeles Clippers is the only thing the organization wants from Kawhi Leonard. The talented player is set to stay with the team for at least four more years, trying to get that first title.
The Klaw recently signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension with the Californians, hoping to bounce back and claim the Larry O’Brien trophy in the next couple of seasons. Smith, however, believes that the 2x NBA champion needs to do more to justify this contract.
He’s struggled in the regular season during his first two years with the team. The controversial load management raised many eyebrows around the league, and last year, he also missed a couple of games. That said, Smith thinks Leonard needs to step up in that item.
“He forced himself out of San Antonio. He goes to Toronto. Yeah, they won the chip. He missed 22 games that year. He moves he goes on to the Clippers, and misses 25 games the next year. This past year, he missed 20 of the 72 games.
It’s not that I don’t prioritize [winning the title], but I also believe you get paid to show up for the regular season games, too. There’s customers that walk through the turnstiles looking for you. Far more often than should be the case, they don’t see Kawhi Leonard.”
.@stephenasmith thinks Kawhi Leonard actually deserved a pay cut from the Clippers.
"I could make the legitimate argument that he's cost a couple of [his teams] a championship." pic.twitter.com/O5lOsTmFL5
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 13, 2021
Moreover, he claimed that Leonard probably deserved to get more money than he got, but there are more factors to consider when signing a new contract.
“As somebody who’s the face of the franchise that you need to trust to elevate your franchise, to market and promote your franchise, that man deserves a pay cut.”
Leonard has received criticism for this, but that’s part of his personality. He won’t make a lot of noise when his teammates do something good or a spectacular play. He goes to the court to do his job, get the win, and nothing else.
He’s done the same thing since he was in San Antonio, but now that he’s in Los Angeles, things might change for the Klaw in the future. This is all about the show, and perhaps the player will need to twist his personality a little bit to bring more value to the Clips.
