- Kawhi Leonard signs eye-watering contract extension with the Clippers until 2027
- James Harden finally reveals real reason why he called 76ers' Daryl Morey a liar
The 2023/24 NBA season may have gotten off to a rocky start for the Los Angeles Clippers, but the franchise's new "Big Three" of Paul George, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard is gelling on the court -- with hopes that the trio will stick around in southern California for years to come.
Leonard signed a new contract with the Clippers this week, choosing to forego another shot at free agency next summer to continue building the Clippers into a championship contender. The 32-year-old confirmed that he left tens of millions of dollars on the table to extend his contract, with the goal being to make it easier for the franchise to re-sign George and Harden when the time comes.
Kawhi and the Clippers' core
Speaking to reporters after the Clippers defeated the Toronto Raptors, Leonard expressed hopes that by turning down up to $70 million to extend with Los Angeles, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank will be able to get at least George locked into a new contract before the season is over -- with Harden following thereafter.
"With me g an extension, I think it gives us a chance to sign both of those players," Leonard said.
Harden cannot sign an extension with Los Angeles until the summer, but George is pressing ahead in negotiations with the franchise and is optimistic a new contract will be finalized soon. George has a player option for the 2024/25 season that he can decline if he so chooses -- but, like Leonard, it seems like George is open to moving forward without an opt-out in his next deal.
"I'm extremely excited and happy for Kawhi reaching a deal to hopefully make him a Clipper for the rest of his career," George said. "We'll see my situation when we get there, but just happy they got the deal done on his end. I know he wants to stay here, myself as well. When my time comes, we'll be ready for those conversations as well."
Leonard will open the Intuit Dome
Securing Leonard's future until his age-35 season means the Clippers will be able to count on the two-time NBA champion when they open their new arena later this year.
The Clippers are finally moving out of Crypto.com Arena -- which they have shared with the Lakers since 1999 -- and into the Intuit Dome, a $2 billion facility located just south of SoFi Stadium in the suburb of Inglewood.
The Intuit Dome is the brainchild of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, and it will seat 18,000 spectators while hosting a new practice center for the team as well as outdoor basketball courts open for public use. Ballmer's vision was for a championship-level facility to house a championship-level team -- which the Clippers, at 24-13 and two games behind the top seed in the Western Conference, are poised to be for the next few seasons.