Stephen A. Smith Says It May Not Be In Clippers "Best Interest" To Keep Kawhi Leonard In Free Agency

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Kawhi Leonard has been the driving force for the Los Angeles Clippers for most of the season, and the team has missed him ever since his injury against the Utah Jazz. There is no doubt that the Clippers need his two-way presence to be true contenders, and it is unlikely that they will vault themselves over the Phoenix Suns without the presence of the two-time Finals MVP.

Despite Leonard's importance to the Los Angeles Clippers, basketball analyst Stephen A. Smith has recently suggested that it might not be in the Clippers' best interests to keep Kawhi Leonard on the team this free agency.

I don't know if it's in the Clippers' best interest to keep him... Let me be clear about something: Kawhi Leonard is a top 5 talent in this game. He is elite. But when you take into account the load management, when you take into account that his personality doesn't actually gravitate towards leadership, he's more of a watch me do it... as opposed to galvanizing the troops and being a talker. And then you combine that with the fact that he is not necessarily reliable at least this postseason, hasn't gotten any younger... it's something that Ballmer and the crew have to think about long term.

It seems obvious that the Los Angeles Clippers would want to keep Kawhi Leonard in free agency. Despite potential concerns about his durability from Stephen A. Smith, he is still a top 5 player in the league, and it feels counterproductive to let a talent like Leonard walk. However, nothing is set in stone, and we will see whether Kawhi Leonard will remain with the Clippers in free agency.