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SAN ANTONIO SPURS
San Antonio Spurs

Kawhi Leonard, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich meet in San Diego

Sam Amick
USA TODAY
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with Kawhi Leonard during a 2013 game.

The Kawhi Leonard saga in San Antonio has taken another turn – in San Diego.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the Spurs star met with coach Gregg Popovich in San Diego on Tuesday, where the two were expected to discuss their rocky relationship and the fading prospect of a future together. According to the person, a meeting around this time between Popovich and Leonard had been planned for weeks and was not a response to Leonard’s desire for a trade becoming public recently. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

A quick recap of the silver and black backdrop: Leonard’s desire to be traded became public on Friday, when multiple media outlets simultaneously shared word that he wanted out – preferably to the Lakers. Leonard grew up east of Los Angeles in Moreno Valley, California, then attended San Diego State, and so it became clear that he was hoping for a homecoming of sorts.

If Leonard found his way to Laker Land, where he would likely make it clear that he’d re-sign as a free agent in the summer of 2019, it is widely believed that it would significantly increase the Lakers' chances of landing LeBron James in free agency this summer. And Leonard, quite clearly, had decided it was time to move on after this season that was so full of mystery and tumult.

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The divide between Leonard and the Spurs had everything to do with the handling of his right quadriceps tendinopathy injury, as he had sought outside medical counsel and spent significant time away from the franchise that found itself at odds with its centerpiece. The injury cost him most of the regular season, as well as San Antonio’s first-round playoff series against Golden State, and then Leonard returned to San Diego for more rehabilitation and training when the summer arrived.

But the Spurs, who have no obligation to bend to Leonard’s request and can still offer him a five-year, $215 million extension on July 1 if they so choose, had yet to have their say. So, what does this meeting mean? It’s unclear.

If nothing else, it explains the lack of clarity that was coming from the Spurs in recent days. Teams that inquired with San Antonio about Leonard had their calls answered, but there was little in the way of specifics when it came to potential deals or Spurs’ requests. The sense, it seemed, was that they weren’t quite ready to make him available.

The clock is ticking, though, as the Spurs surely want to pick a course of action here in time for Thursday’s draft. Should they decide to part ways with Leonard, teams like Sacramento (No. 2 pick) and plenty of others could attach their pick to other high-level players while trying to sway the Spurs.

The fear of losing Leonard in the summer of 2019 is sure to suppress his market, but the reality is that talents like this – a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who was third in MVP voting just two seasons ago – don’t become available very often. Boston, Philadelphia and the Clippers are also expected to be on the short list of motivated suitors.

 

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