New York Knicks: Kawhi Leonard wants to leave San Antonio, wont join Knicks
By Alex Jordan
Kawhi Leonard wants to say goodbye to San Antonio and hello to Los Angeles. While people want to see him in New York, he won’t be traded to the Knicks.
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio, according to reports.
League sources told Chris Haynes of ESPN that Leonard didn’t like how the Spurs handled his quad injury, which forced him to miss all but nine games last season.
Leonard believes that the team turned on him when he got a second opinion on his injury. He hasn’t asked the Spurs to trade him but would prefer to be traded to the Los Angles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard has Los Angeles — preferably the Lakers — at the center of his preferences for a trade destination, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2018
Sources: So far, Leonard has expressed nothing directly to Spurs about future. Lakers and Clippers interest Leonard -- and both teams would move quickly to assemble packages to acquire Leonard. Spurs won't rush. Leonard and his camp had shown interest in $219M super max deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2018
The Los Angles Clippers are another team that interests Leonard. The Boston Celtics would be interested in Leonard if he becomes available in trade talks, league sources told Wojnarowski.
Leonard can opt out of his current contract after next season and become a free agent. He is eligible to receive a five-year $219 million contract extension from the Spurs this summer. However, it appears that he will turn that down.
While there are some teams outside of Los Angeles that are interested in Leonard, it appears that the forward doesn’t want to go anywhere except LA.
People close to the Spurs forward have expressed a desire for Leonard to play for the New York Knicks, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley, however, Leonard hasn’t expressed a desire to play for the Knicks.
There are more than a few teams who can offer a better package to San Antonio for Kawhi than the Knicks can (assuming they don’t include Porzingis), but people close to Leonard have expressed a desire for Leonard to play in New York, per sources. https://t.co/CTs0ISkKXv
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 15, 2018
The Knicks wouldn’t have a chance at getting Leonard if they wanted to get him in a trade. If the Knicks got Leonard in a trade, then they would lose their best player Kristaps Porzingis, who the Spurs are very fond of, sources told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The Spurs probably wouldn’t trade Leonard to the Knicks if they can’t get Porzingis and the Knicks, who are trying to rebuild, aren’t going to give up their best player just so that they can get Leonard.
The two-time All-Star would be a good fit and another superstar for the Knicks. However, Leonard doesn’t want to go to New York. The Knicks also aren’t trading Porzinigs, who is the face of the franchise.
Next: Knicks getting a Bridges?
To the people that want to see Kawhi play for the Knicks: Sorry but it’s not happening.