The relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs may have plenty of room for improvement, but it is starting to sound as though reports of the star forward being shopped to other teams this summer were overblown.
Leonard has one more year remaining on his current contract, and it was once considered a foregone conclusion that he will be signing a max deal with the Spurs. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, that is still the plan for both Leonard and the team.
I had dinner with someone close to Kawhi last week – word is he is completely fine with the situation, expects to sit with the Spurs and hammer out an extension. There are clearly things to talk about, but his side isn't looking for the door. https://t.co/Tib3IjeqCk
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 11, 2018
A report from over the weekend indicated that Leonard is making great progress with the quad injury that forced him to miss almost the entire 2017-18 season, and he is expected to be 100 percent healthy heading into next year. The injury has obviously been the biggest — and perhaps only — source of tension between him and the Spurs, so putting it in the past should help solve any lingering issues.
Leonard was expected to be the centerpiece of the Spurs franchise after Tim Duncan retired, and the team’s recent actions indicate they have not given up on that being the case.
