Kawhi Leonard wants to be Spurs for life.

[Kevin]

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, having scored 47 total points in back-to-back wins, is quite comfortable with where he's at and where he'll be despite not getting a contract extension prior to the Oct. 31 deadline.

"I don't think I'm going anywhere," Leonard told USA Today Sports on Tuesday. "I mean they love me here. I like the organization, and if it was up to me, I want to finish out with one team like a lot of great players have done, to stay with one organization their whole career and just be loyal to that.

"You never know. We'll see what happens next summer, but I'm pretty sure I'll be in a Spurs jersey for my whole life."

The 23-year-old Leonard, who was the Finals MVP as the Spurs won their fifth NBA championship in 12 years last season, will be a restricted free agent after the season, but he knows his time will come as the future of the franchise. For now, he's fine with his role alongside the Spurs' aging big three - Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11863 ... ety-career

[Patr1ck]

I'm not sure about that. He's still really young, and it's questionable that Popovich will be coaching for another 10+ years if Leonard's career is healthy enough and goes that long.

Although, I like his mindset. I think if more younger "core" players stuck it out for their career with one team, they could be more likely to build a contender and have a chance at winning a championship, get their jersey retired, be a fan favourite, etc, etc.

[NovU]

Pop is going to run more offense through Kawhi this season. He'll probably get a max unless he completely turns in a stinker/injury whatever. It'd be crazy for the Spurs to let him walk next season. He'll be a Spurs for awhile, that's for sure. But saying 'for life', you never know.

[shadowgrin]

It's his way of saying 'I want the Spurs to match offers given to me as a restricted free agent.'
He wants to be a Spur and he also wants to get paid. Ball's in the Spurs court now until offseason.

[Andrew]

I was a little surprised that they didn't get a deal done this past offseason, but at the same time, it seemed premature to assume that he's on the way out. The Spurs haven't exactly made a habit of letting talent slip through their fingers, so presumably any concerns will end up being much ado about nothing.

[formx]

Kawhi wants to be a Tottenham Hotspur fan for life? That's sad really.

[Patr1ck]

If they didn't get the deal done, I suspect his agent wanted too much and the spurs want to see if his performance in the finals was a just a hot streak.