Los Angeles Clippers

Luke Kennard and the Los Angeles Clippers agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract extension on Monday, agents Aaron Mintz and Dave Spahn told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Per Wojnarowski, the deal includes $56 million in guaranteed money, with $8 million available through incentives.

The deal comes after Kennard was traded to the Clippers in November as part of a three-team deal involving the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

Kennard battled knee soreness starting last December, which forced him to miss much of the 2019-20 season's first half with the Pistons, but he enjoyed a breakout statistical year when healthy. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 39.9 percent on threes in 28 games.

In October 2019, the 24-year-old Duke product told James L. Edwards III of The Athletic he learned a lot over his first two seasons while playing mostly a reserve role and a couple stints with the G League's Grand Rapids Drive.

"I think being comfortable is a big thing—learning the game and getting a rhythm. However, a lot of it is mental. It's me knowing that I have to be aggressive each and every play. Some plays I was a little tentative over the last couple of years, even sometimes tonight. But I just have to continue to be in attack mode and make plays.

"The NBA is different, man. It's different than any other level. You have to continue to get better. Mentally, for me, is how I've got better—staying locked in, watching a lot of film. The stuff I do off the court has helped me a lot. This offseason was special for me."

Although his learning curve was a bit steeper than expected when the Pistons selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft and injuries have held him back at times, including last season, he's started to flash the upside necessary to become a high-impact pro player.

In particular, his proficiency from beyond the arc is an asset every team could use.

As the Clippers look to bounce back from a disappointing playoff exit last season, the sharpshooting Ohio native should provide depth in the backcourt. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way, Kennard provides a quality option from the perimeter to complement the Clippers' star players.

Will he stay or will he go? 

For Los Angeles Clippers fans, that's the question when it comes to Kawhi Leonard, who can choose to become a free agent after the 2020-21 season. On Monday, Leonard didn't offer much insight into his thinking, saying he was focused on the upcoming campaign:

Leonard's running mate, Paul George, signed a four-year, $190 million extension with the Clippers this summer, committing the next five seasons to the Clippers. That perhaps left some Clippers fans wondering why Leonard didn't do the same. 

"He's one of the guys that I talked to and kind of wanted to inform, 'Hey, this is a decision I wanted to make. I want to be here long term,'" George told reporters after signing his extension. "It's not putting a gun to Kawhi and telling him he's gotta do this or do that. Hopefully it's a mutual bond, and we both enjoy playing with one another."

But Paul and George were in different situations. George was eligible to sign an extension, since he was on the third year of the contract he originally signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard, on just the second year of his deal with the Clippers, wouldn't be extension eligible unless he picked up his 2021-22 player option. 

Here's why that won't happen: While George has 10 service years in the NBA, meaning he was eligible to sign an extension for up to 35 percent of the cap, Leonard won't hit 10 service years until after this season. Thus, he'll likely decline his $36 million player option whether he intends to return to the Clippers or not. 

As ESPN's Kevin Pelton noted, Leonard could sign a deal that would be worth up to $39.3 million next season based on that 35 percent of the cap benchmark. So it wouldn't make much financial sense for Leonard to opt into his 2021-22 player option from a financial standpoint. 

So Clippers fans are going to have to be patient, and hope that Leonard still believes the team gives him the best chance to win a title in the long term after the 2020-21 season. 

It's hard to top Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant when looking for players to emulate at the NBA level, and the Los Angeles Clippers will do just that with Kawhi Leonard during the 2020-21 season.

As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN shared, Clippers head coach Ty Lue said the plan is to install some triangle sets for Leonard since he has studied the midrange approaches of Jordan and Bryant in such offensive looks.

"We have put in two or three sets from the triangle and let Kawhi play in those spaces where Kobe and Jordan played in those spots as well," Lue said. "[Leonard] loves those two players. He really respects and looks up to those guys, so we're just trying to put him in positions [to succeed]. I was able to play with both those guys, but I also played in the triangle, so just trying to teach him that as well as teaching our team as well."

Youngmisuk noted Leonard's 325 mid-range attempts ranked fourth in the league last season, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him attempt even more this season with Lue emphasizing such attempts in the triangle for his star player.

"I think it's a lost art," Lue said. "I'm a firm believer in, 'why not work on what teams are giving up?' Every team wants to give up the mid-range shot, the mid-range 2s, and why not continue to work on the shots that teams are giving up."

It should be noted there is a common thread in place linking Lue's Clippers to the triangle.

The former point guard played under head coach Phil Jackson on the Los Angeles Lakers during his NBA career. Jackson frequently utilized the triangle during his coaching days, famously using it with Jordan on the Chicago Bulls and Bryant on the Lakers.

MJ and Kobe combined for 11 championships under Jackson, so clearly something the coach did was right.

Whether Leonard and the Clippers can bounce back from last season's disappointing finish will be one of the biggest storylines of the NBA year. Los Angeles blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs and never earned a chance at the Lakers in the highly anticipated Western Conference Finals.

It may be up to Leonard's ability to succeed in the triangle if the Clippers are going to challenge for a championship in Lue's first season at the helm.

Six months after listing his San Fernando Valley estate, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George has found a buyer in rapper French Montana.

The reported price, according to Variety's James McClain, is a cool $8.4 million. 

It's $1.1 million less than George was seeking but still helps the forward turn a profit after purchasing the 1.35-acre mansion for $7.4 million back in 2016. 

The Ashley Ridge area of Hidden Hills, where the house is located, is packed with celebrities including Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Jeffree Star while Los Angeles Dodgers icon Vin Scully owns the property next door to Montana's new home, per McClain.

George and his partner, Daniela Rajic, moved to the Pacific Palisades in 2019 after landing a 10,000-square-foot abode previously owned by DeAndre Jordan for $16.1 million. 

The seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom house in Hidden Hills features a full-size, outdoor basketball court as well as a wine cellar and media center.

Johnny Wilkes, who filed a lawsuit saying he is owed money for the role he played in getting Kawhi Leonard to sign with the Clippers, provided TMZ Sports with a voicemail on Friday from July 1, 2019, that he says was from Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Clippers executive board member Jerry West.

In the voicemail, the man Wilkes says is West appears to acknowledge him for his help in the recruitment and calls the Los Angeles Lakers a "s--t show":

"Hey there, this is Jerry calling. I really want to thank you a lot for trying to help. I heard this morning that everyone over in the Lakers camp thinks they're gonna get him.

"I just find it hard to believe that he would want to go to that s--t show where he would not even be...wouldn't even get his name in the paper and he wouldn't be the face of the franchise that's for sure. He might be the best player on the team, but hope things are well and again, I really really appreciate everything you've done."

Per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Wilkes has said that he is close with Leonard and best friends with Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson.

In his lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Wilkes alleges that the Clippers and West owe him $2.5 million as part of an oral agreement they made to compensate him for his help in getting Kawhi to sign with the team.

Later in the voicemail, the man alleged to be West added: "I will keep you apprised of what's going on. But, I do want to get together with you privately and would love to take you to dinner and even Sam if he's around. So I can at least pay my respects to you guys for being so generous and helpful. Take care, talk to you sometime soon. Bye-bye."

TMZ Sports reported that the "Sam" the person on the voicemail was referring to was Sam Watson, who Wilkes said also aided in getting Leonard to the Clippers.

West has denied any wrongdoing, and the Clippers blasted Wilkes' lawsuit in a recent statement: "The lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes is replete with inaccuracies and the allegations are baseless. The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA in its investigation, which is standard when these types of allegations are made. They are providing the NBA with evidence that the allegations are false."

The Clippers transformed their franchise into a championship contender last offseason when they signed Leonard to a three-year, $103.14 million contract and acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Although they were eliminated when they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, they were the second-best team in the Western Conference during the 2019-20 regular season behind the Lakers.

With the Clippers returning almost entirely the same roster from last season, they figure to be contenders again in 2020-21.

If West was indeed the man in the voicemail, it is notable due to his deeply rooted ties to the Lakers organization.

West spent his entire 14-year NBA playing career in the 1960s and 1970s with the Lakers. He was named an All-Star 14 times and won a championship and an NBA Finals MVP award during that time.

He later coached the Lakers from 1976-79 and was a key part of their front office for decades, winning six NBA titles, and then two more after joining the Golden State Warriors.

The NBA is now investigating West, who made the move to the Clippers in 2017, or the Clippers acted improperly in the pursuit and signing of Leonard.

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard denied that an alleged agreement between Johnny Wilkes and team consultant Jerry West played a role in his 2019 free-agent decision.

"Not at all. That has nothing to do with me," Leonard told reporters after Thursday night's preseason loss to the Utah Jazz. "I'm from L.A., and I grew up here my whole life. Out here people try to find any way to get some money, but he probably won't be the last."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk reported Wilkes, who said he's close to Leonard and best friends with Dennis Robertson, the four-time All-Star's uncle, filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking $2.5 million from West for helping the Clippers complete the signing last year.

The lawsuit, which has also led to an NBA investigation into the claims, alleged Wilkes provided West with information to help convince Leonard to sign with the Clippers and worked as an intermediary with Robertson throughout the process, per Youngmisuk.

Wilkes said in court documents the team offered Robertson a home in Southern California and to cover his travel expenses, while Clippers owner Steve Ballmer promised to create a $100 million marketing campaign around Leonard, according to the ESPN report.

Youngmisuk noted the Clippers could face a $10 million fine and a loss of draft picks if the allegations are substantiated during the NBA investigation.

West, who joined the Clippers organization in 2017, denied any wrongdoing.

"I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard," the Hall of Fame point guard told TMZ Sports.

Leonard signed a three-year, $103.1 million contract with Los Angeles in July 2019. He's heading into the final guaranteed season of that deal, which includes a player option for the 2021-22 campaign.

The Clippers fell short of expectations during his first year with the organization, getting eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

L.A. tips off the new season when it faces the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Clippers governor Steve Ballmer addressed the September firing of Doc Rivers, calling the decision "very hard" in an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols on The Jump.

"Doc, I would call my mentor in the league," Ballmer said. "I don't know what it's like for most people when they first come in as governors. I didn't know what I was doing. I learned more from Doc than I did from anybody else, and I really appreciate his mentorship. But it was time, it was time to try something a little bit different."

Ballmer added that he wishes Rivers luck with the Philadelphia 76ers, except when the Clippers and Sixers are matched up on the court.

Rivers was midway through his first season in Los Angeles when Ballmer spent $2 billion to purchase the franchise from the family trust of Donald Sterling.

The Clippers enjoyed a lot of success under Rivers, but their failure to advance past the Western Conference Semifinals was glaring. Blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets after having signed Kawhi Leonard and acquired Paul George was the final straw.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Ohm Youngmisuk, Ballmer and Rivers spoke multiple times in the days after that postseason collapse. Ultimately, Ballmer questioned whether Rivers could take the team any further, and Rivers didn't want to continue without having Ballmer fully behind him.

It's not the first time under Ballmer the Clippers put emotion aside in favor of pragmatism.

During the 2017 offseason, the organization built a shrine to Blake Griffin and made shirts comparing to significant figures throughout world history. Griffin wasn't even a full year into his five-year max contract before Los Angeles traded him to the Detroit Pistons.

That helped set the stage for landing Leonard and George because the Clippers almost certainly wouldn't have been able to get both players while staying within the salary cap.

Perhaps parting ways with Rivers will be similarly fruitful, with the pressure now on Tyronn Lue to get the team to the NBA Finals.

The NBA has opened an investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers following a TMZ Sports story about the circumstances surrounding Kawhi Leonard's decision to join the team, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

TMZ Sports reported Monday that Johnny Wilkes filed suit against Jerry West, who has an executive role within the Clippers, alleging he was supposed to be paid $2.5 million for helping push Leonard toward the franchise:

"Wilkes says in the lawsuit he 'immediately went to work' ... and began convincing Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle the Clippers were the right team for him after he had just left the Toronto Raptors.

"Wilkes says he told West and the Clippers they needed to get Paul George first and foremost to hook Kawhi. He then says he helped connect West with Kawhi's uncle.

"Wilkes also claims in the suit he gave West a specific gameplan for how the Clippers should pitch Kawhi during an important meeting with West, Leonard, Doc Rivers and others in July 2019."

West issued a response to TMZ Sports: "I am not aware of any lawsuit being filed against me and I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard."

The Clippers also denied wrongdoing: 

This isn't the first time the NBA looked into the Clippers' signing of Leonard ahead of the 2019-20 season, with the concerns centered around Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson.

Amick reported in December 2019 the league "conducted a formal investigation of the Clippers last summer after complaints surfaced that Robertson had asked for improper benefits during the free agency process."

Among the things Robertson requested was a house, the on-demand use of a private plane and an ownership stake in the franchise with which Leonard signed.

According to Amick, Robertson approached both the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors with the requests, raising questions about how far the Clippers went to get his signature. The NBA didn't find evidence of any wrongdoing.

Leonard put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth $103.1 million, and he can opt out after this season.

The NBA stripped the Minnesota Timberwolves of five first-round picks in 2000 when they circumvented league rules to sign Joe Smith.

If the Clippers did anything improper related to Leonard, then they could face an even heavier punishment considering commissioner Adam Silver has emphasized the importance of following the anti-tampering statutes.

Though they couldn't sign Kawhi Leonard during last year's free-agency period, the Los Angeles Lakers went on to win an NBA championship in 2020. Leonard, heading into his second season with the Los Angeles Clippers after a championship season with the Toronto Raptors, said he's content to be on the other side of town from the defending champions.

"I'm happy with my decision," Leonard said in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday night. "They did a great job last year."

Leonard, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the San Antonio Spurs, told ESPN's Rachel Nichols in July 2019 he was "very close" to signing with the Lakers and the Raptors in free agency, but the Clippers' acquisition of Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder convinced him to join, too.

"I was very close. Real close," Leonard said. "But when [the Clippers] presented the opportunity of playing with Paul, it was easy, it was a yes. I said let's get it going."

While the Lakers adding Leonard would have completed a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they managed without one last season—and Leonard might be up to something with the Clippers. After combining with George to lead the team last season, the Southern California native helped recruit former Raptors teammate Serge Ibaka to join them this year.

Ibaka signed a two-year, $19 million deal with the Clippers in November.

It is reportedly believed that superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard intends to sign a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Kawhi is expected to remain with the Clips following Paul George's recent contract extension.

Per Spotrac, George inked a four-year, $176.3 million extension with the Clippers last week, which will keep him under contract with the team through at least the 2023-24 season.

Leonard has a $36 million player option for the 2021-22 campaign and can become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason if he declines it.

Both Leonard and George joined the Clippers last offseason. L.A. signed Kawhi away from the Toronto Raptors in free agency, and it acquired George in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Although the Clippers fell well short of their goal by blowing a 3-1 series lead and losing to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, the duo of Leonard and George was highly productive.

Kawhi, 29, averaged a career-high 27.1 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 three-pointers made per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He also shot 47.0 percent from the field and made 37.8 percent of his three-point tries.

He performed at a high level during the Clippers' playoff run, averaging 28.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals in 13 contests.

Although George's production dropped off from the 2018-19 season, when he was an MVP candidate in OKC, he still put up solid numbers with 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Provided the Clippers are able to find the right mix with their supporting cast, Leonard and George seem like a tandem capable of bringing the franchise its first championship.

In Leonard, the Clippers have a legitimate superstar who has reached the top of the mountain as the go-to player for multiple teams.

Kawhi won a championship and was named NBA Finals MVP with both the San Antonio Spurs and Raptors, and there is little doubt he would love to replicate the feat with his hometown team.

The Clippers are largely returning the same team from last season with a few notable tweaks, including the addition of veteran big man Serge Ibaka and guards Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum.

Tyronn Lue has replaced Doc Rivers as the head coach in hopes that a new voice on the sidelines will get the team over the hump in 2020-21.

The Clippers are unquestionably one of the top contenders in the Western Conference, and as long as things don't go off the rails next season, they should have a few opportunities in the coming years to win a title with Leonard and George at the forefront.