After a tumultuous season in San Antonio, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and star forward Kawhi Leonard are expected to sit down and talk sometime before the draft on June 21, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during a TV appearance on Tuesday (video link via Rob Lopez of DefPenHoops).
According to Wojnarowski, the Spurs will be looking to repair the relationship between Leonard and the organization. The two sides were at odds during the 2017/18 season as Leonard opted to listen to the advice of outside doctors rather than the Spurs’ medical staff, resulting in him missing all but nine games due to a nagging quadriceps injury.
While Leonard’s teammates have publicly supported him, Wojnarowski suggests that the 26-year-old may have to mend some fences on that front too. Meanwhile, the Spurs will have to decide whether or not to put a long-term, super-max extension offer on the table.
If San Antonio doesn’t offer Leonard a new contract this summer, trade speculation could heat up. For now though, despite interest from teams around the NBA, the Spurs aren’t entertaining the possibility of discussing a deal, says Wojnarowski.
What about a trade to the Hornets? Feel if Kawhi gets traded it will be to a team not mentioned. Plus be Hornets biggest star in franchise history.
What would the point of that be? Hornets would still suck, he’s not signing an extension to stay there…. So they aren’t going to pay the ransom to get him.
Yea it would need to be to a team he would resign with.
Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, MAYBE Clippers are the options.
A trade and the super max extension can’t co-exist. People really believe that the Spurs won’t offer it or, if offered, KL will decline it? Possible, but in the former case I can’t imagine KL making any concessions (like indicating he’d do a full extension after 2018-19) to facilitate the Spurs getting more back in a trade. His salary for 2018-19 can’t change, and he already has the security of a player option for 2019-20. He needs to be an UFA after the 2020-21 season to get the 35% max. Unless he’s so miserable that he wants out this year, I don’t see a trade where his “new” team gets even any soft guarantees beyond a year to year thing.
200M reasons to work it out.
He is going no where.
Would San Antonio or any other team paying 200MM for Kawhi? Just surprise he can get the same money as Curry, Harden, Westbrook, Davis… & all of the superstars in the league.
Kawhi has been considered a Top 5 player for a few years and arguably the best 2 way player. MVP candidate.