Kawhi Leonard is expected to re-sign with the Clippers

Kawhi Leonard declined his $36 million player option for the 2021-22 season. However, the two-time Finals MVP has reportedly decided to re-sign with the L.A. Clippers, with the terms of the deal being hashed out.

Before this past season, Leonard was non-committal about his plans in free agency. “Not saying I’m going anywhere else or staying here, but I’m just focused on the season,” he told reporters. “Obviously, if I’m healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option, but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving or staying.” 

Leonard is coming off another stellar year during which he was named an All-Star for the fifth time and averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and a career-high 5.2 assists per game in the regular season. Unfortunately, his season came to an unexpected end in the playoffs after he partially tore his ACL in Game 4 of L.A,’s second-round series against the Utah Jazz. L.A. won the next two games to advance to its first-ever Western Conference Finals, only to lose to the Phoenix Suns in six games.

The Clippers announced that Leonard had successful surgery to repair the torn ACL on July 13, but there is still no timetable for the return of the two-time Finals MVP.