The San Antonio Spurs are consistently secretive about internal matters, but the franchise appears to have accepted Kawhi Leonard has played his last game.
Marc Stein of the New York Times reports that the Spurs are ready to move on from Kawhi.
This doesn't guarantee Kawhi Leonard is going to the Lakers this week — since San Antonio could always trade him elsewhere and/or drag things out — but league sources say of the Spurs: "They're ready" to move on from Kawhi
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 28, 2018
Now, the NBA world can officially begin wondering about the new destination for Leonard. While a trade began to feel inevitable, word hadn’t trickled out of San Antonio about whether the team would grant his trade demand.
As Stein noted, the Los Angeles Lakers will be a key player. They could offer an intriguing package that includes some combination of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and draft picks.
After all, pressure is mounting on Magic Johnson and Co. to acquire Leonard — whose reported preference is to play for the Lakers.
Los Angeles is not guaranteed to be Kawhi’s home in 2018-19, but it’s fair to say San Antonio will not.