NBA 18/19: 3 details to note about Kawhi Leonard's New Balance deal
Where Kawhi Leonard will be playing basketball next season still remains a mystery, although his sneaker future has now been decided. The 27-year-old has signed a multi-year shoe deal with New Balance, and he is now set to be the first notable NBA star sponsored by the company since James Worthy in the 1980s.
The deal ends Leonard's long-time deal with the Jordan brand, and here we will look at three important details from Kawhi's deal with New Balance.
#3 Jordan can still match the deal, but won't
It is common practice with shoe deals that incumbent brands are provided with a 10-day window to match their competitors offer. This rule applies to Leonard's current deal, although the Jordan brand has been resigned to letting Leonard leave for months now, and Leonard's partnership with New Balance should be announced next week.
It has been reported that Leonard wanted to leave Jordan due to being disappointed with their offer of $5 million a year, in addition to the brand's refusal to give him a signature shoe line. Despite Leonard wanting to leave, Jordan could have retained him by matching New Balance's offer, although the Jordan brand was not willing to go anywhere near the offer, which brings us to the next point.
#2 Leonard will now have one of the biggest sneaker deals
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year will now earn considerably more than the $500,000 dollars that he was earning each year from his existing deal from Jordan. ESPN has reported that in order to convince Leonard to sign, New Balance has offered well in excess of $5 million per season, and his new deal will put him into the top 15 earners in the NBA.
The executives at the Jordan brand seemingly believed that Leonard was not worth a huge amount of money, whereas New Balance had to overpay due to the fact that the sportswear brand currently has no presence in the NBA.