The San Antonio Spurs and All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard have ostensibly been at an impasse ever since Leonard’s lingering quad injury sidelined him for 73 regular season games, plus all of the playoffs. And with Leonard entering what is expected to be the final year of his contract, there have been growing concerns that he could very well leave San Antonio in free agency next summer.
The Spurs and Kawhi Leaonrd are reportedly trying to make amends
It’s been a long road, but the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard are reportedly trying to make up
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Now, however, according to The San Antonio Express-News’ Jabari Young, it appears the Spurs are trying to bridge the gap between the franchise and the NBA’s premier two-way wing. It’s a blast from the past for a coach and franchise that had a similar situation with a disgruntled star last season.
According to Young:
League sources tell the Express-News that head coach Gregg Popovich and Leonard are trying to schedule a meeting, possibly this week, to discuss any issues or concerns Leonard may have, and hopefully come to a decision on offering Leonard the five-year, $219 million supermax extension he is eligible to receive.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics made an offer for Leonard before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, but the Spurs turned it down and never responded with an offer of their own. The Lakers and 76ers each also have interest in Leonard, per Wojnarowski, but San Antonio hasn’t yet begun to explore trade options.
OK, so how did we get here?
The NBA hadn’t seen Leonard since his historic 2017 playoff campaign came crashing down onto Zaza Pachulia’s foot. The only other player to have as efficient a postseason as Leonard did that year, according to Basketball-Reference, was Reggie Miller in 1993.
Leonard’s season ended in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when he rolled his ankle landing on Pachulia’s foot after rising up for a jump shot. The Spurs blew a 20-point lead then were swept out of the series.
But while Leonard eventually recovered from his ankle injury, another condition surfaced: Right quadriceps tendinopathy. It’s a vague medical term that could be in reference to any number of specific tendon issues. What we know is that it was a painful rehab process for Leonard, and a painful waiting game for the Spurs.
It was even more painful because San Antonio’s medical staff cleared Leonard to play, but he didn’t feel he was ready to go. So he left the team and consulted an independent group of doctors in New York for a second opinion.
Eventually Leonard returned
We saw him for nine games, where he averaged 16.2 points on moderate shooting numbers. It was clear he was working himself back into game shape, but a 25-point game and a pair of 21-point nights made it seem like he was getting back into the groove of things.
That couldn’t have been further from the case.
After his ninth game, Leonard flew back to New York to consult the same independent group of doctors he had seen the first time around. He eventually decided to end his season early, to the dismay of many who had hoped Leonard would return in time to help the Spurs make a deep push into the playoffs.
That didn’t happen. Instead, reports of a rift between Leonard and Spurs management surfaced. The timing couldn’t have been worse: San Antonio had a supermax contract to offer him, and if he didn’t accept it, they would have to trade him or risk losing him for nothing in the 2019 free agency.
That’s why this report, if true, is a beauty
Remember, LaMarcus Aldridge approached Gregg Popovich last summer about his fit in the offense. He requested a trade, something that Pop had never experienced in his aeons as a coaching phenom. But Popovich smoothed things out with Aldridge and, without Leonard, reworked his All-Star forward back in as the focal point of the offense.
Aldridge’s third season in San Antonio was one of the best in his career.
That all started with the two sides coming together to hash out any gripes or misunderstandings, and the same is expected to happen between Popovich and Leonard. The Spurs are lightyears better with their All-Star forward on the court, and no team can put Leonard in an immediately better position to win than San Antonio.
If they air things out, hug and make up — aka agree to that $219 million supermax deal — the NBA will be better for it. Because if there’s any dark horse for a championship appearance every single season, it’s San Antonio. And with a happy, healthy Kawhi Leonard, no team wants to see the the Spurs in the playoffs
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