On January 11, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and there was a bombshell news in the free market that the Clippers and Leonard, the core of the team, officially completed an early contract extension. The Clippers are in a hot situation right now, and at this juncture, they can also stabilize the morale of the military, at least without worrying about dismantling these topics next season, and the contract of another core George, has also entered the countdown, and the team is committed to keeping them on long-term contracts.
According to Shams, the early contract extension between the small card and the Clippers is worth three years and $150 million, and it is fully guaranteed, with no player options, and the new contract will extend until the end of the 2026-27 season. However, this contract is not the maximum salary, and it is about $8.5 million less than the maximum salary. Obviously, Leonard is also hoping that the team can make some other additions. And next season, Leonard's salary will reach $52 million, which is well worth it based on his momentum this season.
Although Xiaoka's attendance in the past few seasons has been average, his physical condition this season has been very good, and he has only missed four games so far, and he has been able to play back-to-back. Leonard has been in excellent form this season, with a career-high shooting percentage, and the team is sprinting at full strength, and the momentum is still very good. It is clear that the team has seen hope for a rise and will not completely rebuild because it failed to win a championship this season, but will continue to focus on the small card.
In addition to renewing the contract early, the Clippers' contract extension negotiations with George are also underway, and it is estimated that an agreement will be reached soon, and there is no reason to choose to leave. George has a player option next season, but he should be like Leonard and drop that option to sign an early extension. As for Harden, as for him, he was unable to extend his contract early due to his player option last summer, and with the current momentum, the Clippers have no reason to let him go. I'm sure we're looking forward to seeing them join forces again, and even if they don't succeed this season, they will be very competitive next season.
With Leonard's contract extension ahead of schedule and George on the way, the 76ers are estimated to be the saddest. By the time this summer, the 76ers will have a lot of salary space to sign another star in the free market, and they were originally targeting Leonard or George, but now they don't even have the opportunity to meet. It seems that their best option may be to renew Harris's contract, and it will be a bit too difficult to chase the star again.