On Tuesday, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich met with his star player to discuss his future with the Spurs.
It sounds as if what Kawhi Leonard told Pop is that he feels he doesn’t have one with the team.
During their meeting in San Diego, Leonard told Popovich he wants to play in Los Angeles for either the Lakers or Clippers and that he intends to sign with one of those clubs as a free agent in 2019 if he is not traded to L.A. first, league sources told ESPN.
The 26-year-old, a two-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, told friends he did not want to meet with his coach and is still upset about public comments Popovich made when he was nursing a quad injury that weren’t supportive.
The Spurs are unlikely to facilitate a deal to the Lakers and still do have the chance to sign Leonard to a five-year, $219 million super-max contract this summer if they can get him to stay.
At this point, the Spurs have not revealed what they’d be looking for in a trade for Leonard.
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