Kawhi Leonard trade: Celtics make decision after Spurs' player demands
GETTY Kawhi Leonard will not be traded to the Boston Celtics this summer, according to Colin Cowherd
Leonard is desperate for a way out of San Antonio after a season in which he butted heads with team management over the diagnosis and treatment of a long-standing quadriceps injury. The disagreement is said to have turned bitter after Leonard sought a second opinion on the injury before following a personal rehabilitation programme away from the team in New York. Last month, the 27-year-old informed Spurs officials of his desire to be traded, sparking chaos around the league as rival franchises attempted to assemble a worthwhile package. Leonard had been eligible to sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $219m with the Spurs this summer but his apparent willingness to turn his back on the opportunity hints at his current discontent in San Antonio.
GETTY The Celtics will be buoyed by the return of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving next season
With a year remaining on his current deal, any side trading for the former Finals MVP will have to convince Leonard to re-sign next summer or risk losing him for nothing during free agency. Boston, Philadelphia and the Lakers have all been tipped as potential landing spots for the former Defensive Player of the Year – but Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd said the Celtics were now out of the question for Leonard. “Boston is not going to obtain Kawhi, this is all baloney,” Cowherd said. “Because Boston, I have this sourced, ain’t going to give up Kyrie Irving and they ain’t giving up Jayson Tatum. They’re not.
GETTY The 27-year-old is desperate to leave the Spurs this summer after falling out with team executives
“Those are the two things San Antonio wants.” Next year Boston will be buyoed by the returns of both Kyrie Irving, who missed the final third of the season with a knee injury, and Gordon Hayward, who missed the entire season with a gruesome broken leg. And Cowherd suggesting adding another player with a questionable injury history would be of little benefit, or interest, to general manager Danny Ainge. “It doesn’t make any sense [to trade for Leonard],” he added.