Stephen A.: Paul George CANNOT eye a max deal now with Kawhi Leonard below it 🗣️ | NBA Countdown

Stephen A.: Paul George CANNOT eye a max deal now with Kawhi Leonard below it 🗣️ | NBA Countdown

Big news in the western conference today woi reported that Clipper star kawh Leonard he has agreed to a three-year 153 million extension to stay with the team through 2027 so he’s been eligible W to sign this since last July so why did it happen now and what effect

Does it have on both Paul George and James Harden here M it happens now because this has been a negotiation and it went on with kawh Leonard it’s going on with Paul George and then it’ll happen with James Harden after the season but this is a clipper team that

Was facing the possibility of their three best players in free agency this summer now they get kawhai Leonard locked up at a deal below the max number which is what the Clippers wanted with this new salary cap the Clippers don’t believe that they could put a championship Supporting Cast around

Leonard Paul George Harden unless those players are taking less money Harden has t or uh kawhai has taken less now than the Max and the negotiation now continues with Paul George but huge for the Clippers to get the first part of that done and now they’ll continue talks with

Paul George to see if they can get this group locked up going into their new Arena next year Stephen when you look at this and you look at the construction of the Clippers you already have a little eye roll what’s going on cuz I’m not excited it’s obvious the right obviously

The right thing for the Clippers to do there’s no question about this this is a superstar caliber player we all know what he brings to the table when he’s on the court healthy the problem is it’s always a question mark as to whether or not he’s going to be on the court

Healthy and don’t get me started at what he doesn’t do to Market his team to market the sport okay does nothing even when he’s doing a commercial the kids are talking and not him and this his own damn commercial this is who he is but we all know he’s a phenomenal phenomenal

Basketball player and considering the Clippers situation to get him locked up and to have two other plays you have to deal with it was the right move to make I can’t poo poo this at all we know what a superstar kland it is I’m not blind

They did the right thing he has played an 89% of their games at least thus far this season seon absolutely you you hope you can play look look there there’s many careers that have been ended lost abbreviated by by serious leg injuries and so you just hope Kawhi Leonard is

Not one of those all I think about a player who wound up changing teams relatively late in his career wasn’t long enough for Mari stmy and he wasn’t as good as Kawai but he was a great player and those knee injuries cost him and it’s very real this is not load

Management we’re talking about we’re talking about kawhai kawhai Leonard having knee issues even back to when he was dragging that knee around during the playoffs with Toronto so you hope he can be healthy enough you hope that in these subsequent years he’s playing more games now as you mentioned Malika they are

Opening a new Arena I mean there’s pragmatic stuff you can’t open an arena in Los Angeles without some some gate without some attraction right and though he does as Stephen A mentions very little to Market it his Market marketing is his game his marke I would not care if he if if he

Just played but but nothing else my problem is he misses the game any he can be Toronto kawh Leonard guess what the Clippers will be very happy but he’s playing more games in the regular season than Toronto kawh Leonard was and we’re seeing his most efficient output since

Then perk yeah absolutely but he set the tone he set the tone for the organization and for the first time we all could say kawh lyard is committed right he said tone so now what is Paul George going to do cuz I’m hearing Paul George want the max are the Clippers

Going to give him the max I don’t believe so can they reach common ground but W I’m hearing that you know Paul George could be IR returning back to the Indiana Paces I don’t know if it’s a leveraging thing or not I don’t know if he would would you know leverage that to

To get the max money but I know that’s what he wants so so what Kawai is saying is who is willing to make the sacrifice to hold this together to win the NBA title or try to win the NBA title there are some attractive teams who Paul

George fits right into in free agency Indiana with Tyrese halberton potentially Philadelphia with uh Joel MB Tyrus Max Tyrese Maxi but he’s going to have to take less than the max to stay in La uh kawh Leonard did it is a negotiation y the negotiation will continue but this is home for Paul

George this group they’re finally getting to see what this can look like has fit in perfectly it is a negotiation it’s going to continue well damn it somebody got to say it so I’m going to say it no Paul George you can’t be about the backs right now kawi Leonard had an

Opportunity remember you had the Lakers interested in there when Magic Johnson was still there and what have you we all know he held the Clippers hostage I want Paul George what do they do they give up the farm to get kawh lenett to come to the Los Angeles Clippers and they got

Paul George away from Oklahoma City the talent that is Paul George is Max caliber Talent when his brother is on his on I loved watching him going up against Deon Booker the other night when they had 35 and 33 respectively but in the same breath Paul George has missed

His share of games as well and at some point in time Steve Balmer and that Clippers organization has done a lot for those Brothers they have paid them they have taken care of them they’ve coddled them selfish when it’s time to get your lce I didn’t say don’t get his letter I didn’t

Say don’t get his lettuce but damn you can’t give up a few dollars to make sure you stay in LA with your boys I got to say winning C winning cures a whole lot of things and if this trajectory of the cliff season continues to go the way

That it is but they no they’re no further up the standings than Philadelphia it is a new salary cap if you want to win you’re going to have to take less in this new [Applause] [Applause] era

Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins, Michael Wilbon and Adrian Wojnarowski join Malika Andrews on NBA Countdown to discuss what Kawhi Leonard signing a 3-year/$153M extension with the LA Clippers means for the team and his teammates going forward.

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