The Spurs have become increasingly worried that star Kawhi Leonard may try and force a trade to a larger market, according to a report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright.
Leonard appeared in just nine games for San Antonio this season because of an injured right quad, and he has had a tense relationship with the team during his rehab process, according to multiple reports.
The Spurs are now worried that Leonard and his advisers have strained the relationship purposefully, with hopes that Leonard will be dealt to a team in Los Angeles, New York or Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s reporting.
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has even lost sleep over the team’s relationship with its disgruntled star, ESPN’s report says.
Leonard missed San Antonio’s first 27 games to open 2017-18. He returned in December but was shut down in mid-January after just nine games.
At that time, Buford denied any problems between Leonard’s camp and the Spurs.
"There is no issue between the Spurs organization and Kawhi," Buford told ESPN on Jan. 22. "From Day 1, all parties have worked together to find the best solutions to his injury."
But in late March, with San Antonio in the middle of a playoff push, ESPN reported that a group of Spurs players, led by Tony Parker, held a players-only meeting in which they encouraged Leonard to return.
The Spurs finished 2017-18 with a 47-35 record. They fell to Golden State in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Leonard has averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds during his seven-year career, all spent with the Spurs. He’s a two-time All-Star, has been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year twice and won the 2013-14 title with San Antonio.
He signed a five-year contract in 2015 worth more than $90 million that runs through the 2019-20 season.
