Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen teams negotiating contract extensions with those eligible. Eric Bledsoe, the Morris twins, Kenneth Faried are but just a few examples. The recent announcement of the new NBA TV deal coupled with the extension deadline of 31 October fast approaching has had many other teams scrambling, trying to negotiate extensions with the 2011 Draft class.

But one player and his team are remaining eerily quiet on this front: the San Antonio Spurs and

Leonard, the third youngest NBA Finals MVP ever, is entering the final year of his $3 million rookie contract. In the three short years he’s been in the league, Kawhi has established himself as one of the league’s brightest young stars, and now has the chance to be paid like one.

On any other team, it would be a straightforward decision to give Leonard the max. But this is the Spurs we’re talking about, an organization synonymous with the “team-first” culture, and has been successful at retaining their top players at below-market prices.

The last person the Spurs awarded a max contract to was Tim Duncan. The very same player who held the title of third youngest Finals MVP winner before Leonard usurped him. With parallels like these drawn, could the Spurs finally break the bank for Kawhi?