Kawhi Leonard‘s 2017-18 season has been strange. After finishing second and third in MVP voting the last two seasons, the 26-year-old has only appeared in nine games and his lingering quad injury has been the subject of some rare drama in San Antonio.
All signs point to a return for Leonard at some point in March. And this is the offseason where he and the Spurs can negotiate on a supermax contract. This is also the summer that his current contract with Jordan Brand is set to expire.
ESPN’s reporting that Leonard’s representation “came ‘very close’ to completion on a new four-year extension worth more than $20 million. But discussions broke down abruptly because representatives for Leonard didn’t feel that the new deal reflected the forward’s accomplishments and standing within the league, sources said.”
Leonard has been one of the faces of Jordan Brand’s flagship sneakers. He’s received player exclusives colorways of the Air Jordan XX9, Air Jordan XXX and Air Jordan XXXI. He’s also been featured in a few Jordan Brand ad campaigns.
Leonard currently earns less than $500,000 from Jordan Brand. LeBron James leads the NBA in highest sneaker contract salary, earning $20 million a year from Nike.
Leonard’s contract with Jordan is over on October 1. He can start talking to other sneaker brands in July. Jordan Brand does hold a match clause, which will allow them to retain Leonard if they choose to match the sneaker contract offer he receives from a rival company. ESPN’s also reporting that there are no talks about a signature sneaker for Leonard at this point.
h/t ESPN
