***OFFICIAL KAWHI RELATED NEWS Thread***

[Twisted_Dawg]

The only time the Spurs could actually have offered Leonard the supermax was the 16th and 17th, and I suppose the early part of the 18th, up to the time the trade was finalized and announced. Oh, they could have shot the breeze on the subject at any time, but hot air is not an "offer." A signature on a legal do ent is an offer.

Is it possible that a player (Leonard) couldn't SIGN an extension until the 16th, but the player's team could negotiate and offer the contract BEFORE the 16th?
I'm not that knowledgeable about all of the nuances of the CBA.

It sure seems possible the Spurs initially took a firm stance and didn't offer the supermax and telling Leonard needed to prove his loyalty and health. When that blew up in their (Pop and RC) faces, the Spurs then offered the supermax in the 11th hour.

[ZeusWillJudge]

All of these conspiracy theories about the bad Spurs management break down when you look at facts:

1. Kawhi made it clear that there were only a few teams he would play for. He wasn't just trying to get away from the Spurs, he was trying to get to specific cities.

2. Only four players had signed a supermax contract. (Not many are eligible.) Curry, Harden, Westbrook, and Wall. Wall's is considered the worst contract in the whole league - because of chronic injury. A first grader could understand why the Spurs would want to look before possibly making the new worst contract in the whole league. It's debatable whether Kawhi is as smart as a first grader.

3. If a team is willing to invest over $200 Million in you, you can't claim that they aren't "committed" to you. These guys soak up 35% of the salary cap, and then want to that their teams can't surround them with more high-priced talent. And they demand that the team go deep, deep into the lux tax before they'll say whether they will even accept a super-max extension.

Most of these guys (Paul George leaps to mind) claim, "I didn't care about the money, I just wanted to win." So here's the solution: any player who gets offered a super-max deal from his team, and leaves anyway, can only get paid the 10-year vet minimum by his next team. Let's see how many of them say they don't care about money then.


Oh, and... Kawhi.

[UZER]

I think Kawhi was already out the door. The supermax was just another thing.

I think something happened behind the scenes that changed everything. Not sure if it was something someone in the organization said about him, or his uncle, or what. But at some point, it seemed to turn personal. You don’t pull the stunts he pulled towards the end unless things have just turned so sour that you can’t even stand to be in the presence of someone anymore.

[apalisoc_9]

The Spurs could not have offered Leonard a supermax deal until July 16, 2018. There are rules about it, including when an offer can be made. (The significance of the July 16 date is that Leonard signed his last contract with the Spurs on July 16, 2015, and certain possibilities are annualized.)

Leonard was traded on July 18, 2018. It should be obvious, in order to achieve that trade, serious talks on it must have been underway before July 16. There's no chance the lawyers can get all that contract crap reviewed and expressed - for four players and a draft pick and a cash transfer - in only 24 hours. Lawyers get paid by the hour, btw.

Did the Spurs offer Leonard the supermax?

No.

During that very brief window of opportunity when the Spurs might have made the offer, on the 16th and 17th, the Spurs, and the Raptors, already had their lawyers hard at work on the trade. They must have.

The Spurs had already decided a supermax offer was pointless. He was leaving.

Iirc you can make verbal agreements.

[diego]

Why should the spurs have given the super max to the superstar with the least mileage out of all the NBA, who still needs load management, still can't complete a le run, and doesn't even have the language skills to communicate his intentions adequately?

I hope he stays in Toronto forever, let it be his personal Siberia. And it's a riot to read his fanboys prop up the raptors so they can on the spurs through one side of their mouths then blame Lowry, gasol green nurse etc for not carrying the cripple all the way from the other..

[exstatic]

It was exactly like Spurs 2 years ago.. if he can't play, Spurs goes home.. and they did.

Pop shut him down because it's clear he can't continue.

He was medically cleared for games 3,4,5.

[exstatic]

Damn. So that's where the front office went wrong. They didn't offer the supermax until Kawhi had already made up his mind and it was too late.

If they had entered the summer seeking to reconcile and offered the supermax as proof of their commitment to Leonard, they might have been able to salvage the relationship. But because of their arrogance and hardheadedness, they made it clear to Kawhi that he would have to earn the supermax first, and that was the last straw for him.

I'm kinda looking at him dragging his leg up and down the court and thinking they did the right thing. You really can't pay $40M/yr to a 60 game player who will lug out when forced to play a bunch of consecutive, non B2B playoff games.

[exstatic]

Windhorst didn't actually "report" that. He just wrote it. His remark isn't sourced. Calling that statement by Windhorst "reporting" is like calling what dabom posts on Spurstalk "reporting." It's just something Windhorst wrote, unless he can come up with a source (which he can't.)

The only time the Spurs could actually have offered Leonard the supermax was the 16th and 17th, and I suppose the early part of the 18th, up to the time the trade was finalized and announced. Oh, they could have shot the breeze on the subject at any time, but hot air is not an "offer." A signature on a legal do ent is an offer.

They can offer it to him any time, and discuss it at leisure. They couldn't officially SIGN anything until July 16th. Don't be so obtuse.

[Twisted_Dawg]

After seeing KL limp around in the last couple of games, I wonder if that explains all the rumors that broke yesterday about the Clippers focusing on Durant? Jerry West is the smartest GM and certainly has to be concerned with handing out a huge contract to a chronically injured player.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Iirc you can make verbal agreements.

Unless they've changed things, that is correct. You can't tamper with your own player.

If any other team was even expressing interest before that, including responding to his agent or anyone else about Kawhi's interest in them, it would be tampering.

[JeffDuncan]

. Can't wait for the truth to come out.

What i don't understand is why the wait.

It appears the Spurs didn't know the situation was hopeless until Coach Pop visited Leonard in San Diego on June 17th, and came back empty handed. That was just one month before the trade was announced.

[JeffDuncan]

They can offer it to him any time, and discuss it at leisure. They couldn't officially SIGN anything until July 16th. Don't be so obtuse.

It is not an offer until there is a signature on a legal do ent (and a blank line for the signature of the second party.)

If you think just shooting the breeze over a cup of coffee is an offer, you are a dimwit.

[JeffDuncan]

Iirc you can make verbal agreements.

Which are worth the paper they're printed on.

[ZeusWillJudge]

It is not an offer until there is a signature on a legal do ent (and a blank line for the signature of the second party.)

If you think just shooting the breeze over a cup of coffee is an offer, you are a dimwit.

Which are worth the paper they're printed on.

You're splitting hairs. If PATFO says, "We're going to give you the super-max", it's as good as done. Besides, what would they gain by verbally offering him the super-max, if they didn't intend to give it to him? You'd have to stretch your imagination to find some kooky example of how that would benefit them. "Yeah, look... I know we said super-max a few weeks ago. But would you consider what we have behind Curtain Number Two? We could throw in a couple of bottles of Dom, if that would help."

[JeffDuncan]

You're splitting hairs. ...

Nope, that would be you, as you wander off into a fantasyland of make-believe conversations.

An offer is a signature on a legal do ent. In the context of what we're talking about, that is what the word means. With a space where you could then sign if you accept the offer.

You speak of PATFO making the offer, but in fact they cannot. The Spurs ownership would make the offer. Coach Pop, himself, would sure as never offer to pay a player $200 million out of his own pocket. Neither would R.C. Let's keep in mind who's who here. PATFO are salaried employees, the same as Leonard was. That is not a trivial point when we're talking about somebody becoming liable for the payment of 1/5 of a billion dollars.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I’d take a 80% Kawhi for the Supermax than 90% of the players I. The league

Spurs goofed up

[exstatic]

After seeing KL limp around in the last couple of games, I wonder if that explains all the rumors that broke yesterday about the Clippers focusing on Durant? Jerry West is the smartest GM and certainly has to be concerned with handing out a huge contract to a chronically injured player.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I read those same rumors. If Jerry's really backing off, then PATFO made the right decision.

[Harry Callahan]

I was thinking the exact same thing. I read those same rumors. If Jerry's really backing off, then PATFO made the right decision.

The Spurs really don't need affirmation from Jerry West - it would be a tough decision to commit $200MM to a player with obvious physical issues/limitations.

Someone will pay a lot of money for KL and stay awake a night wondering when the asset inevitably breaks down.

Don't forget that the Spurs had Nephew on EXTREME load management in December 17 and Jan 18 and he still managed to come up with a shoulder injury resulting in a three game sit down during his nine game season. Has he ever missed less than ten RS games in a season?

[spursparker9]

[Spurs fever]

Windhorst didn't actually "report" that. He just wrote it. His remark isn't sourced. Calling that statement by Windhorst "reporting" is like calling what dabom posts on Spurstalk "reporting." It's just something Windhorst wrote, unless he can come up with a source (which he can't.)

The only time the Spurs could actually have offered Leonard the supermax was the 16th and 17th, and I suppose the early part of the 18th, up to the time the trade was finalized and announced. Oh, they could have shot the breeze on the subject at any time, but hot air is not an "offer." A signature on a legal do ent is an offer.

Didn't Pop say in an interview after the trade Kawhi doesn't care about money? I think it was his response to a question regarding the super max.

[Twisted_Dawg]

The Spurs really don't need affirmation from Jerry West - it would be a tough decision to commit $200MM to a player with obvious physical issues/limitations.

Someone will pay a lot of money for KL and stay awake a night wondering when the asset inevitably breaks down.

Don't forget that the Spurs had Nephew on EXTREME load management in December 17 and Jan 18 and he still managed to come up with a shoulder injury resulting in a three game sit down during his nine game season. Has he ever missed less than ten RS games in a season?

Some thread way back listed all of his numerous injuries and games missed since he was a rookie. The weird eye infection took the cake.

[Fusternino]

Jerry West no longer wants Kawhi? Source?

[Johojowhite]

Kawhi looking good for game 5. Joking around with Ibaka.

[exstatic]

Didn't Pop say in an interview after the trade Kawhi doesn't care about money? I think it was his response to a question regarding the super max.

He may not, but the people actually calling the shots, The Group, sure as do.

[SpurPadre]

Some thread way back listed all of his numerous injuries and games missed since he was a rookie. The weird eye infection took the cake.

More like yeast infection, tbh.