Spurs still hoping to offer Leonard Super Max contract (SA Express)

[baseline bum]

So you want to quit trying to compete for championships? Got it.

You're an idiot

[BillMc]

"Hardly extroverts" doesn't come close to describing Kawhi. He is Kareem/Tim on steroids. Moreover, you have identified the two nearest comparables that I could identify - and neither of those guys would have gone completely AWOL like Kawhi did this season.

Agreed. And Timmy was only a recluse to the media, his teammates all loved him. No one seems to know Kawhi even after all these seasons.

Kareem, an introvert, forced a trade to LA after being the face of the franchise for the Bucks and leading Milwaukee to 1 le. Hmmmm.... let us hope our "introvert" doesn't take a similar path.

[coachmac87]

You're an idiot

You’re waiving the white flag..

[DPG21920]

My hope is restored!!! Kawhi is staying!!

[ducks]

Leonard thread

[spurs10]

Glad that's settled. Does this mean LeBron is coming too?

[cjw]

You're just wasting a season letting Kawhi audition for a new team on top of rewarding him for it. All so you can match a $38 million 2019-20 salary in trade instead of the $20 million 2018-19 salary. It's the difference between only having to take Marcus Morris' affordable contract to make a Kawhi for Tatum + Brown trade go through vs having to take Horford's ridiculous albatross to make the deal happen next summer. You think winning teams are going to trade their superstar for our disgruntled ? New Orleans is going to burning up RC's phone line to send Anthony Davis? The Spurs are still going to lose bigtime in any trade they do. You never get equal value trading a superstar who wants out. Another cancerous year out of a Leonard who wants out sounds horrible. Only way it makes sense to have him play in a Spurs uniform next year is if it's because he plans to be here long term.

If you don’t like what the Celtics are offering in a S&T a year from now, you tell them to pound sand and Kawhi can walk to a team with cap space (which there won’t be many of) and you’ll take cap space back in an environment where there isn’t all that much of it and it’s pretty valuable. Too bad Mills and Gasol are on the deals they’re on.

Also, Horford’s deal may look like an albatross just based on stats, but he’s been outstanding this postseason and is the reason they took two against Lebron, beat Philly and probably why they made it out of the first round. Efficiency is off the charts and he’s defended well.

If I get a trade like Horford + Brown + Tatum for Kawhi + dump Gasol or Mills’ money, it’s not a terrible outcome. Pretty sure Brown and Tatum is unlikely to be on the table though.

I’d rather get a pick than Brown too, as it would be under cost control two additional years. The third pick in the draft gets expensive pretty quickly.

[spurs10]

If you don’t like what the Celtics are offering in a S&T a year from now, you tell them to pound sand and Kawhi can walk to a team with cap space (which there won’t be many of) and you’ll take cap space back in an environment where there isn’t all that much of it and it’s pretty valuable. Too bad Mills and Gasol are on the deals they’re on.

Also, Horford’s deal may look like an albatross just based on stats, but he’s been outstanding this postseason and is the reason they took two against Lebron, beat Philly and probably why they made it out of the first round. Efficiency is off the charts and he’s defended well.

If I get a trade like Horford + Brown + Tatum for Kawhi + dump Gasol or Mills’ money, it’s not a terrible outcome. Pretty sure Brown and Tatum is unlikely to be on the table though.

I’d rather get a pick than Brown too, as it would be under cost control two additional years. The third pick in the draft gets expensive pretty quickly.

Getting cap space back is very valuable and unless his contract gets extended he'll be on a loaner deal to anyone and we won't get anything substantial. That's why I think an extension will be on the table.

[Proxy]

Cool, so I guess the LMA will want to stay

[SnakeBoy]

Oh off with your emotional talk. You only offer him a supermax contract if you think he's committed to the franchise long term and if the team doctors are confident he's not the next Brandon Roy. Last thing the Spurs need is another cancerous year out of Leonard. I want to not put off an inevitable rebuild if he wants out and I don't want the Spurs taking more Gasol contracts if Leonard pouts and forces a trade next summer.

Still doesn't make sense. I'd rather have a good team for a year and who knows Leonard could change his mind if that was the case. Your acting like a rebuild is a quick thing so let's get it over with but it could take a decade or more. Rebuilding isn't a given so put it off as long as possible. How long have the lakers sucked now and they aren't a small market team.

[duncan2k5]

That has nothing to do with it. Youre confusing marketing with loyalty. Spurs just need to dump leonard, danny, murray. Theyre losing culture.

Culture like the y warriors who are gonna win another ring?

[duncan2k5]

Told you so... Spurs are gonna offer Kawhi will accept

[venitian navigator]

I hope that if they are gonne offer him the max will be with the same Embiid's rules...that's 'cause we can not repeat the experience of been bound to the will or caprice of his agent nor the one of his pseudo medical staff...

[Robz4000]

Did you even read the story? It some marketing guy who invented Go Spurs Go speculating that they will. He has all the cred of TSpence.

Uhhhh if tspence says something is going to happen it's going to happen. Only one I might believe over him is wojtek.

[jermaine]

That "Mask off" video made me wanna cry. It felt like thinking about a good girlfriend you lost an you don't know how or where things went wrong.

[spurs50_]

Could be wishful thinking on my part, but aren't Super Max contracts going to be a thing of the past in a few yrs?

[benefactor]

Told you so... Spurs are gonna offer Kawhi will accept

Did you even read the story? It some marketing guy who invented Go Spurs Go speculating that they will. He has all the cred of TSpence.

[Killakobe81]

That "Mask off" video made me wanna cry. It felt like thinking about a good girlfriend you lost an you don't know how or where things went wrong.

Which video?

[superbigtime]

Hard to envision Kawhi giving a succinct statement and saying 'I love SA.' That guy Aguilar is right though, that's pretty much all it would take.

[YGWHI]

Did you even read the story? It some marketing guy who invented Go Spurs Go speculating that they will. He has all the cred of TSpence.

The article's le is quite misleading...The guy is just talking about PP actions to repair his public image, there isn't a word about a supermax offer.

[DPG21920]

The article's le is quite misleading...The guy is just talking about PP actions to repair his public image, there isn't a word about a supermax offer.

There is; it’s a side note but it’s in there.

Still, the Spurs hope to meet with Leonard and his representatives soon in a bid to mend fences and pave the way for Leonard to come to terms on a five-year $219 million supermax contract that he will be eligible to receive starting July 1. If attempts to patch up the relationship fail, the Spurs will be forced to explore trading a player coach Gregg Popovich once labeled “the future face of the franchise.”

That part does appear to be from Tom, not the PR guy.

[YGWHI]

That part does appear to be from Tom, not the PR guy.

Get it now. Thanks!

[Russ]

That part does appear to be from Tom, not the PR guy.

It is so "unsourced" there's no telling where (if anywhere) it's from.

[rjv]

It is so "unsourced" there's no telling where (if anywhere) it's from.

i think orsbourne is his own source in this case. whether it's reliable or not is another thing. but, then again, what has been reliable news regarding leonard all year?

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Did you even read the story? It some marketing guy who invented Go Spurs Go speculating that they will. He has all the cred of TSpence.

I don’t think there’s a single credible article out there on the Kawhi issue. Kawhi should be nicknamed Loch Ness at this point.