The Spurs are walking a thin tightrope
Contract extensions for the class of 2011 are officially over and one player that couldn’t reach an agreement with his squad is the reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. He and the San Antonio Spurs could not agree on terms that would extend his stay in Texas, automatically making him a restricted free agent in July 2015.
This doesn’t mean he can’t resign with the Spurs at a later date, the organization can still match any offer sent his way starting on July 1, 2015. Considering Coach Popovich has called him the “future of the Spurs franchise,” it is most likely that the front office is waiting to see what happens with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli‘s physical ability to play another season before they throw all their chips into the Leonard bag.
“There’s no debating Kawhi’s value. The market has been set. He’s done everything the Spurs have asked of him, exceeded all of their expectations. Coach [Gregg] Popovich has gone out of his way to call Kawhi the future face of the franchise. We have great respect for the Spurs organization, but here, we simply agree to disagree.”
It’s quite the risk for financial stability and cap space flexibility, we highly doubt they let such a talent walk away when their franchise is about to lose some of their core in the coming years.
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