Kawhi Leonard reached a four-year, $176-million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers with a player option in the 2024 summer.

Fairly speaking, not many saw this coming after Leonard opted out of his last year of the previous deal with the Clippers and became an unrestricted free agent. The more popular idea was that the two-time NBA Finals MVP will get a 1+1 deal, opt out of it in the 2022 summer and sign a five-year, $235-million supermax contract with the Clippers.

"Kawhi is a transcendent player and a relentless worker who improves himself every day. We share many of the same goals, which include a long-term relationship. This agreement marks another important moment for our franchise and our fans, as we strive to create a championship-caliber organization where players find the success and fulfillment they seek. We're eager to continue building with Kawhi," said Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations of the Clippers, in a statement.

Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in 52 regular season games in the 2020-21 campaign and dropped 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.1 steals on average in 11 playoff games before pulling out due to a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee.

By contrast, he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals for the Toronto Raptors in the postseason in 2019, when he won his second NBA Championship.

When he was healthy, Leonard was still that competitive ace he was two years ago in the playoffs based on his stats. After title-winning 2019, he was the hottest free agent on the market and was looking at every eager offer for him to sign.

So, what changed in the 2021 summer? Why wasn't Leonard the most special one anymore?

For starters, he did not take the Clippers to the position many had expected them to reach after Leonard and Paul George joined the team. They indeed made it to the (Western) Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history last season, but Leonard was not there when the Clippers won the last two games of the series against the Utah Jazz.

By contrast, he was there when they were knocked out by the Denver Nuggets in 2020 in such an ugly way. The halo of helping the Raptors win the title as the Finals MVP wore off after two straight disappointing seasons.

Second, the Clippers decided not to spoil Leonard anymore. They gave a green light for his load management – Leonard played 57 and 52 regular season games in the previous two seasons, respectively – agreed to sign a 2+1 deal in 2019, all because the Clippers believed Leonard could be the game-changer for the team.

They would have continued to tolerate Leonard's privileges if Leonard had taken the Clippers to the NBA Finals – they might even agree to a 1+1 contract with him and offer a five-year, supermax deal in 2022 summer.

Nonetheless, Leonard was not in the Western Finals and is unlikely to play in the 2021-22 season. The Clippers cannot pay him to rest and recover for the whole season and then watch him ask for more, or worse, leave the organization. The new deal put the initiative of contract negotiation back into the hands of the Clippers.

"For now, we will do whatever we can to support him in his recovery from injury. We look forward to seeing him back where he wants to be, on the court with his teammates," said Fran in the statement.

For now, the Clippers also have to prepare for the new season without Leonard, who, despite what was said above, is still their best player. The team retained Nikolas Batum and Reggie Jackson at rather healthy prices. Considering their head coach Tyronn Lue already figured out a working small-ball lineup in the playoffs, the Clippers had a confirmed competitive squad in the new season.

But that does not mean they have no concerns. The team's long-time lying problem, lack of quality big men, became a lethal defect against the Suns in the Western Finals. So far they haven't done anything to fix that problem. Neither do they have enough salary space to do it.

It shouldn't be too hard for the Clippers to make the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, but don't hold your breath for the team to go to far in the postseason.