The Los Angeles Clippers proactively took one of the biggest pieces in the 2024 free-agent class off the board after agreeing to an extension with Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Leonard agreed to a three-year, $152.4 million fully guaranteed deal that will tie him to the Clippers through the 2026-27 season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added Leonard will make $52 million in the first year and $50 million in each subsequent season. His deal does not include a player option.

And per Wojnarowski, they might not stop there:

Leonard could’ve hit the open market next offseason if he had declined the $48.8 million player option in his contract with the Clippers. According to NBA reporter Keith Smith, the extension comes in under Leonard’s possible max of $161 million, assuming a $142 million salary cap for next season.

The five-time All-Star didn’t look like an immediate flight risk with Los Angeles fixated on winning a title. Nevertheless, his impending free agency loomed large, especially considering Paul George has an almost identical 2024-25 player option. Then there’s James Harden, whom L.A. acquired with one year left on his contract.

The Harden trade was costly in the short term, and that’s nothing compared to the check team governor Steve Ballmer will have to write if Kawhi, PG and Harden all return.

Having so far failed to reach the heights they expected after adding Leonard and George, the Clippers had to ponder whether they wanted to stick to the plan.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on June 20 that Los Angeles had at least “left various rival teams with the impression through their draft week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George’s trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem.”

ESPN’s Zach Lowe discussed the report on his Lowe Post podcast a day later. He noted at the 25:20 mark of the episode Stein was careful to avoid saying George was being shopped around in deals. For Lowe, the story did, however, reflect an ongoing storyline within the organization.

He said the Clippers were potentially “prepared to put up a fight” if Leonard and George both requested fully guaranteed max extensions. The team would prefer instead to agree to deals that reflected the persistent injury problems the two stars have experienced.

Though the frustration isn’t directed toward the player specifically, Leonard’s inability to stay healthy is particularly troublesome because the team made it a point from when he first arrived to carefully manage his workload.

Los Angeles famously received a $50,000 fine in 2019 when then-head coach Doc Rivers alluded to the proactive handling of Leonard.

Despite the Clippers taking what precautions they could, the five-time All-Star played the equivalent of two seasons (161 games) over his four years with them.

Nobody questions how good Leonard is when he’s healthy. He’s averaging 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.6 steals with L.A., and his three-point percentage (40.2) is slightly above his career average (39.0).

At this point, though, it’s fair to wonder whether the 32-year-old can still be the cornerstone of a franchise with championship aspirations in the way he was with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19.

Building continuity on the court can be difficult when the two-time NBA Finals MVP is in and out of the lineup, and the Clippers have twice seen their postseason derailed after he suffered an injury.

Granted, Los Angeles shook off a slow start this year to move up to third in the Western Conference, with Leonard appearing in all but four of its 36 games. Perhaps this is when the stars all align.

In general, players typically don’t become more durable as they get deeper into their 30s, so the position outlined by Lowe was an understandable stance for Los Angeles to take. Of course, the approach carried some risk if Leonard took exception to anything less than a max offer.

Despite the past disappointments and future risk, re-signing him on the right terms remained the Clippers’ best course of action.

The bulk of their most valuable draft capital over the next few years is in the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, thus negating the benefits of a full teardown. Ownership presumably doesn’t want to christen Intuit Dome in 2024-25 with a team in rebuilding mode, either.

There will come a time when the Leonard/George partnership is dissolved. For now, Los Angeles has little choice but to forge ahead with the status quo.