There’s been a lot of scuttlebutt surrounding a potential trade that would send Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Wednesday, one report emerged that suggested this outcome is nearly a done deal.
Not so fast, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who on Thursday ahead of the draft wrote that the “Spurs and Lakers have had no dialogue on Leonard.”
Wojnarowski also noted that the Spurs haven’t been proactive in chasing down trade offers but that they are “willing listeners” as teams send them trade proposals. He also said of the Spurs, “For now, make an offer and they’ll add it to their board.”
Leonard and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, for reasons that make little sense to this scribe, have a frosty relationship right now. The star forward is signed on for two more years in San Antonio, but there have been reports that the club would be willing to offer him a $219 million supermax contract to smooth things over.
Leonard very well could be moved in a trade at some point during the draft Thursday night. But at this point, the Spurs seem to be making it crystal clear that nothing less than a franchise-altering proposal will get the job done.