When Kawhi Leonard takes the floor for the start of the 2018-19 season, he will have new apparel from head to toe.
He'll have a new uniform, as the former Spur was traded to the Toronto Raptors, of course, but keep an eye on his feet. According to league sources, Leonard will not be a representative of Jordan Brand any more.
ESPN’s Nick DePaula reported that Jordan Brand will let Leonard walk after he turned down a 4-year, $22 million extension to his current contract. DePaula says Leonard will be free to sign with a different sneaker company in October, which is typically when sneaker contracts expire for NBA players.
Leonard may be one of the most talented players in a while to become a sneaker free agent, but major brands are not expected to enter a bidding war for his services. Between his unknown health status, public perception of his feud with the Spurs and reputation as being uninterested in endorsement deals, Leonard likely won’t receive a nine-figure deal with a signature shoe.
The one thing Leonard could have going in his favor are reports that more companies are trying to re-enter the basketball shoe market. So it might not be just Nike, Adidas and Under Armour bidding for the right to outfit Kawhi, but also brands like New Balance, Puma, and AND1. The dream sneaker contract for any NBA star would be one that rivals the 13-year, $200 million contract James Harden signed with Adidas in 2015. It doesn't appear that Leonard will get anything like that.
This news is the latest of a string of what-ifs when it comes to Leonard’s finances. He may have left millions of dollars on the table by leaving the Spurs, the only team that could have offered the five-year, $221 million super max.
If Leonard becomes a free agent at the end of the season, as is widely expected, the Raptors can offer him a five-year $190 million contract, while any other team could only offer four years, $141 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
It’s true those are all big numbers, but unless Leonard can command a shoe deal this fall that dwarfs Jordan’s reported offer, the cost of this offseason could reach into the tens of millions for Kawhi.
