Nobody is sure how the Kawhi Leonard situation is going to play out with the Spurs. As is the nature of the NBA, the GMs of other teams are starting to circle the Spurs like vultures, on the chance that this time Gregg Popovich cannot smooth out the relationship with his star player and needs to trade him. Leonard spent the playoffs away from the team, working out and talking to doctors in New York while “his group” shielded him from attempts from San Antonio to reach out.
Now has come the time for the sides to talk, and that will happen soon reports Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News.
And now the offseason questions will come…before the nonsense starts, #Spurs and Kawhi Leonard will be the topic of discussion. Source tell @ExpressNews he’ll return to San Antonio once Exit Interviews are scheduled and take it from there.
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 25, 2018
What happens during and after that meeting is anyone’s guess.
The Spurs will only move Leonard as a last resort, and they have two things on their side. First, Gregg Popovich, who has maintained a healthy relationship with his star pupil through all of this. LaMarcus Aldridge told Popovich he wanted to be traded last summer, and over the course of some dinner meetings and self-reflection, Popovich was able to both keep Aldridge in the fold and put him in positions to be an All-NBA level player this season. The key is that both sides were willing to talk with an open mind, are Leonard and his advisors open to that?
Second, the Spurs have the ultimate hammer — the $219 million designated veteran extension (the contract James Harden and Russell Westbrook signed this year). Put that on the table and Leonard will sign it. The question is will the Spurs put it out there? Probably not if Leonard makes it clear he doesn’t want to be in San Antonio any longer. That’s when the trade talks start to gain traction.
But we’re not there yet. Not even close. Let the meetings play out first.