Kawhi Leonard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Leonard, George, Mavericks, Jazz, Ainge, Suns

July 4th, 2021 at 9:14pm CST by JD Shaw

Despite Kawhi Leonard having the ability to decline his $36MM player option and enter free agency this summer, the pairing of Leonard and Paul George is likely to continue with the Clippers, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times opines.

Leonard and George remain one of the league’s most formidable duos on both ends of the floor. This season’s run was cut short due to Leonard’s knee injury in round two, with the Clippers subsequently losing 4-2 to the Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

“We’ve made great connections; I think we’ve both grown, myself and Kawhi, together,” George said after the team’s season-ending loss, as relayed by Greif. “I think we really enjoy being teammates, and we see what we can be and what we can do.

“So, I’m happy. I’m happy to be his teammate. I was very excited. Proud of what we accomplished. … I think we’ve got a good foundation.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall had an extensive conversation with new head coach Jason Kidd about his 2001 domestic abuse charge before he was hired, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News writes. Kidd accepted his position with the Mavericks last month. He won a championship with the team in 2011 and most recently served as an assistant coach with the Lakers.
Former Celtics president Danny Ainge said that there’s “nothing going on” between him and the Jazz at this point, despite rumors he could join the team as an advisor, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Ainge recently departed from the Celtics after nearly two decades with the franchise.
Mark Faller of The Arizona Republic examines how the Suns went from 19 wins in 2018/19 to the NBA Finals this season, calling it the best turnaround story in sports. Phoenix, led by a star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, will play Milwaukee in Game 1 of the Finals on Tuesday.

Clippers Notes: Beverley, Rondo, Kennard, Batum

July 3rd, 2021 at 10:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers guard Patrick Beverley will face a suspension at the start of next season for shoving Chris Paul from behind in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports. The incident occurred during the fourth quarter of the Suns’ clinching victory. Beverley has since apologized on Twitter, stating, “@CP3 emotions got the best of me last night gang. My bad wasn’t meant for you. Congrats on making it to the Finals. Best of Luck.”

We have more on the Clippers:

With Kawhi Leonard dealing with an unknown knee injury and potentially opting out, and Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum headed to unrestricted free agency, the team faces an uncertain future after reaching the conference finals for the first time, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. The expiring contracts of Beverley and Rajon Rondo could be used as trade chips, and the Clips could also explore trade options for Luke Kennard, whose didn’t play up to expectations after signing a four-year extension, Greif adds.
Batum isn’t sure what his future holds but he’s grateful to the organization for reviving his career after it went sour in Charlotte, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “Now look where I am right now, just incredible. It’s amazing to what happened to me this year,” he said. “I can’t thank enough the Clippers’ organization for giving me a chance to be a basketball player again. I wasn’t sure what I could do this year, and they give me a chance to be a player again.”
In case you missed it, Paul George believes the team would have made the Finals if Leonard was healthy. He’s also eager to recruit players for next season. Get the details here.

Mavericks, Heat Would Be Top Suitors For Kawhi Leonard In Free Agency

July 1st, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks and Heat plan to make a “hard push” to add Clippers star Kawhi Leonard this summer and other teams will be in the mix as well, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Leonard holds a player option for next season and is expected to bypass a $36MM salary to become a free agent.

Some executives consider Dallas to be in the best position to land Leonard because of the chance to play alongside Luka Doncic and the ability of the front office to create cap room or work out a sign-and-trade arrangement. Leonard has spent several years with Nike and has a strong relationship with longtime executive Nico Harrison, who was recently hired as the Mavericks’ general manager.

O’Connor notes that Leonard tried to talk Jimmy Butler into joining him with the Clippers two years ago before the team traded for Paul George. Butler opted for Miami, and O’Connor suggests that Leonard might have an interest in forming a partnership there. The Heat don’t have a realistic path for creating enough cap space to add Leonard in free agency and would have to rely on a sign-and-trade.

The Knicks do have plenty of cap room and will be in the market for any available star, O’Connor adds, and virtually any team would try to work out the details if Leonard shows an interest in joining them.

Even so, O’Connor states that there are plenty of indications Leonard will re-sign with the Clippers. He’s originally from Los Angeles and purchased a $17.1MM home in the area in March.

O’Connor foresees a lot of roster changes this summer, whether Leonard returns or not. Serge Ibaka has a $9.7MM player option, and Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum are both headed for unrestricted free agency. Keeping Jackson has become a priority after his stellar postseason, but the demand for him will be high and he could move beyond the Clippers’ price range.

L.A. is already in luxury tax territory, O’Connor notes, and adding more salary would be expensive. The team’s only path for signing a player will be the $5.9MM taxpayer midlevel exception. The Clippers have the No. 25 pick to offer in trade talks, but don’t own another first-rounder until 2027. They may try to move Luke Kennard, who has a four-year, $64MM extension that starts next season.

Leonard, Zubac Won’t Play In Game 6

June 30th, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and center Ivica Zubac will sit out Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, Marc Stein tweets.

Leonard hasn’t played in the series against the Suns due to a right knee injury that he suffered June 14 against Utah. Zubac is also sidelined by a right knee injury, officially described as an MCL sprain. The 24-year-old center played regularly during the first four games of the series, averaging 12.8 PPG and 11.0 RPG.

Marcus Morris is also dealing with a knee injury but he’ll play, according to coach Tyronn Lue, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.

With Zubac sidelined in Game 5, Lue went with a smaller lineup and his team staved off elimination with a 116-102 win. Guards Terance Mann and Patrick Beverley were inserted into the lineup with Morris and Paul George as the only natural forwards.

Kawhi Leonard Ruled Out For Game 5

June 27th, 2021 at 6:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

JUNE 27: Leonard has officially been ruled out for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. Leonard will remain in Los Angeles to continue his knee rehabilitation.

JUNE 26: Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played yet in the Western Conference finals and it doesn’t appear he’ll return for Game 5 on Monday. Sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that it’s “highly unlikely” Leonard will make the trip to Phoenix (video link).

Leonard is recovering from a right knee injury that he suffered June 14 against Utah. He didn’t accompany the Clippers for the opening two games of the series with the Suns, and there are concerns that air travel would be harmful to the knee, according to Haynes.

Speaking to reporters today, coach Tyronn Lue said that Leonard, who has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 4, continues to offer advice to his teammates and has been “a lot more vocal” since the injury, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

The news is better for Clippers teammate Marcus Morris, who has been cleared to play tonight, Youngmisuk adds (via Twitter). Morris, who is also dealing with a knee issue, was a game-time decision on Thursday.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Leonard, Warriors, Lakers

June 27th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers overcame deficits to get past the Mavericks and Jazz, but they admit it’s a bigger challenge to be on the brink of elimination in the Western Conference Finals, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. After losing at home to the Suns Saturday night, L.A. will need three straight wins to salvage its season, starting Monday at Phoenix.

“Definitely a different feeling,” Terance Mann said. “There’s no room for error. Just got to take it a game at a time now. Just got to try and go get Game 5 and be ready to try to force a Game 7.”

Shooting was the biggest issue for the Clippers in Game 4 as they connected at a 32.5% rate from the field and were just 5 of 31 from three-point range. They had 12 chances in the fourth quarter to tie or take the lead, but weren’t able to convert any of them.

“Just got to take it one game at a time. Just focus on Monday’s game, that’s it,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “Not focus on winning three games. Got to take it one game at a time, and that’s got to be our mindset. We beat Utah and won four games in a row. So it’s very doable. We’ve just got to make sure we’re locked in and understand what we’re doing offensively.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kawhi Leonard is considered unlikely to return for Game 5, and Clippers teammate Paul George believes that’s the best decision, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Leonard hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury nearly two weeks ago. “I can’t speak for him, to the health of Kawhi,” George said. “If he’s not 100 (percent), we don’t want him out there. I mean, that’s just as a brother, as a teammate. His health long term is more important than what’s going on now.”
Landing the No. 7 pick in Tuesday’s lottery adds to the return the Warriors got in the deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins, notes Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Russell was acquired from the Nets in a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant, but he wasn’t in Golden State’s long-term plans. The Warriors were able to flip him to the Timberwolves for Wiggins, who is a better fit, and got valuable draft compensation as well.
Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times examines the benefits of the sale of a minority stake in the Lakers to Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly.

Pacific Notes: Anschutz, Vogel, Leonard, Bagley

June 26th, 2021 at 10:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Philip Anschutz has agreed to sell his 27% stake in the Lakers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times confirms. Anschutz is the founder of AEG and owns the team’s arena, the Staples Center. Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are making the purchase and the transaction values the Lakers at about $5 billion, Scott Soshnick of Sportico reports.

The sale of Anschutz’s stake in the Lakers, which is the largest outside of the Buss family, has to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Anschutz also owns of the NHL’s Kings and the MLS’ Galaxy. A major long term question is whether Anschutz’s first right to purchase, should the Buss family ever want to sell its majority stake, will transfer to the two buyers, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.

According to the Sportico report, the buyers will get those transfer rights.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Frank Vogel is entering the final year of his three-year contract with the Lakers and some members of the organization are surprised he hasn’t already received an extension, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Vogel could also face numerous staff changes since Jason Kidd, who has agreed to be the head coach of the Mavericks, could take several assistants with him to Dallas, Goon adds.
Kawhi Leonard has not appeared in the Western Conference Finals and will miss Game 4 on Saturday due to a knee injury, but he’s been a major presence off the court, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports notes. Leonard and another injured Clippers player, Serge Ibaka, have been dispensing advice during games and practices. “Kawhi and Serge both have been great… Kawhi is just more, you know, everything: offense, defense, moving the basketball, how we can attack certain matchups, defensively how we can do different things on certain players,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “So, he’s always engaged on both ends.”
Marvin Bagley III‘s future with the Kings remains up in the air and he’s facing a social media backlash from Sacramento fans, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Bagley liked a tweet that stated, “We’ve got to get @MB3Five outta Sac man.” After a negative reaction from fans, Bagley removed any mention of the Kings from his bio on both Twitter and Instagram. Sacramento has already picked up Bagley’s $11.3MM option for next season but he’ll be eligible for free agency next summer.

Kawhi Leonard Won’t Play In Game 4

June 25th, 2021 at 6:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kawhi Leonard will sit out Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN and other media members (Twitter link). Another prominent Clippers forward, Marcus Morris, will be a game-time decision.

Leonard hasn’t played since injuring his knee during Game 5 of L.A.’s second-round series against the Jazz.

The Clippers are officially calling Leonard’s knee injury a sprain, but few details have been released about the severity. There was concern last week that he might have damaged his ACL, but there’s been no confirmation one way or the other.

Leonard was averaging 30.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 4.4 APG in 11 postseason games prior to the injury.

Morris played 24 minutes in the Clippers’ Game 3 victory over Phoenix, contributing eight points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. He’s also been battling a knee issue.

The Suns lead the series 2-1.

Kawhi Leonard Ruled Out For Game 3

June 23rd, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have another 0-2 hole to climb out of, but this time they’ll have to do it without Kawhi Leonard. The star forward has officially been ruled out of Thursday’s Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

Leonard hasn’t played since hurting his knee nine days ago in Game 5 of L.A.’s series against the Jazz. The Clippers managed to win the final two games of that series without him, but are staring at a deficit again after dropping back-to-back games in Phoenix.

Coach Tyronn Lue said over the weekend that he’s preparing to play the entire conference finals without Leonard, just to avoid the game-to-game uncertainty of whether he’ll be available.

The Clippers are officially calling Leonard’s knee injury a sprain, but few details have been released about the severity. There was concern last week that he might have damaged his ACL, but no one has confirmed whether that happened.

Kawhi Leonard Still Sidelined For Game 2

June 21st, 2021 at 5:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has confirmed that All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard will remain sidelined for Game 2 of L.A.’s Western Conference Finals series against the Suns, tweets Mark Medina of USA Today. Leonard has been unavailable since the closeout Game 6 of the Clippers’ second-round series against the Jazz with a right knee sprain.

While Leonard is unable to contribute on the court, he continues to stay engaged with the Clippers from afar, Medina writes for USA Today. Lue said that Leonard helped the club make some key halftime adjustments to beat the Jazz in Game 6.

“He came into the coaches’ office, just talking about different strategies,” Lue said. “He just wanted to know our game plan, how we are going to start, what’s our coverages and things like that. So he’s very engaged.”

Clippers center Ivica Zubac also said that Leonard remains involved with the club, and continues to text the team in a group chat thread while they’re on the road in Phoenix and in-person in Los Angeles, tweets Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

Lue has stated previously that he hopes Leonard can rejoin the Clippers on the court at some point during the series, but is game-planning as if the All-NBA forward will be unavailable.

The team is also missing nominal starting center Serge Ibaka, done for the postseason after undergoing back surgery earlier this month. The status of big man Marcus Morris ahead of tomorrow’s Game 2 remains up in the air, Medina also noted. Lue said that Morris is “getting treatment around the clock,” but “is still experiencing soreness.” Morris suffered a knee injury in the first of Game 1, a 120-114 Suns victory.