LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard has declined his player option with National Basketball Association side Los Angeles Clippers for next season, making him a free agent, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday (Aug 1).
The player option was worth US$36 million (S$48.7 million), but ESPN reported that Leonard is expected to negotiate a new deal to remain with the Clippers. However, that does not preclude him from the possibility of testing the open market once again.
Also on Sunday, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul is said to be declining his US$44.2 million player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, The Athletic and Stadium reported.
The 2021 NBA free agent period officially begins on Monday evening.
Leonard, 30, joined the Clippers two years ago following a high-stake free agency period that saw multiple teams courting him.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP (2014, 2019) and two-time Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) is a Southern California native who chose the Clippers in 2019 over the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors.
In two seasons with Los Angeles and Paul George at his side, the Clippers reached the Western Conference semi-finals but no further.
The Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the conference semis in 2021, with Leonard sidelined for the entire series with a knee injury.
Leonard underwent surgery on a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on July 13.
In 52 regular-season games in 2020-21, Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. He was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third time of his career.
Paul, 36, helped the Suns reach the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1992-93 season after averaging 16.4 points and 8.9 assists in 70 games this past campaign. He was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2022 first-round draft pick.
The 11-time All-Star has played on three different teams in as many seasons, so the prospect of moving on is not unfamiliar to him.
Paul's family, in fact, continues to make Los Angeles its primary home.
Paul has averaged 18.3 points and 9.4 assists in 1,090 career games since being selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
He has also played for the Clippers and Houston Rockets.
