These maximum contract deals are all the rage in the NBA these days. We spoke yesterday about how Klay Thompson and Tristan Thompson wanted to get paid. Now, the reigning NBA Finals MVP wants that cash.
KAWHI LEONARD SEEKS MAX DEAL
San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard reportedly wants a maximum contract extension with the NBA champions.
Kawhi, who seeks a max deal, can become a restricted free agent next summer if San Antonio doesn’t re-sign him by October 31.
Via Yahoo! Sports:
Leonard, 23, is considered one of the NBA’s rising young stars, and multiple league executives said he’ll command a max offer sheet on the market next summer. The Spurs would assuredly match a sheet and retain Leonard, but there remains the risk of Leonard signing a similar offer sheet to Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons.
Parsons signed a three-year, $46 million offer sheet that included a player option on the third year. This way, Leonard could become an unrestricted free agent and potentially leave the Spurs in 2017.
San Antonio could sign Leonard to a five-year, $90 million-plus extension now, if the Spurs were willing to make him their designated player. San Antonio could also negotiate a four-year deal at the maximum contract level – or below – before the Friday deadline. As a restricted free agent next summer, the Spurs could also sign Leonard to a five-year extension at or below the maximum contract level.
MELO: I WOULD HAVE LOVED BEING KOBE’S TEAM-MATE
New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony said after a recent Knicks open training session that he would have loved being Kobe Bryant’s team-mate in Los Angeles with the Lakers.
Anthony also shut down the rumours that other superstars would hate playing with Bryant.
Via Newsday:
“My mind-set is not there right now,” Anthony said. “I’m focused on building it here in New York. I can’t go out there worrying about them and think this is where I could’ve been.”
While the subject of where Anthony didn’t go was being discussed, he also said he was not scared away from joining the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant. (A recent ESPN report said free agents don’t want to play with the ultra-critical Bryant.)
“Hell, no,” Anthony said. “If I thought that was the right situation for me from an overall perspective and having a team, I would’ve looked at that situation more in-depth. I just thought I was more comfortable playing here now. I would always like to play with Kobe.”
