Kawhi Leonard signed a massive contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday worth $176.3 million over the course of four years. This deal means Leonard will make $44 million per year, which is $8 million more than he was making on his previous deal. Needless to say, the Clippers just gave Leonard the bag, and he will be the leader of the franchise for the next half of a decade.
For Clippers fans and most analysts around the league, this is a phenomenal deal for both sides as Leonard will make a lot of money, all while the Clippers will have their franchise player for years to come. On the flip side of that, however, there are some who feel like the contract is simply too rich given Leonard's history.
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One of the people making that argument is none other than Stephen A. Smith who had a harsh assessment of Leonard this morning. In the clip below, Smith claims that Leonard should have received a pay cut due to the fact that he is always injured. Smith also made the claim that Leonard hinders the progress of the teams he has played for.
"I could make the legitimate argument that he's cost a couple of [his teams] a championship," Smith said.
Leonard was directly responsible for the Toronto Raptors' championship in 2019, which completely negates what Smith is saying here. However, First Take is a debate show, and for these things to work, someone has to take the opposing side, even if that opposing side is completely out to lunch.