Report: Meeting with Kawhi high on Spurs' priority list this summer
With their NBA title dreams officially dashed at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs will now turn their attention to an offseason in which mending their seemingly fractured relationship with their franchise player will be of the utmost importance.
Sitting down with two-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard is reportedly high on the Spurs' priority list this summer, sources told ESPN's Michael C. Wright.
Head coach Gregg Popovich would lead those discussions as the two parties reportedly gauge whether or not their partnership - which has been largely successful since Leonard was drafted back in 2011 - is still salvageable.
The 26-year-old forward suited up for a grand total of nine games in 2017-18 for the 47-35 Spurs, who were bounced from the playoffs in Game 5 by the reigning champions on Tuesday. A right quadriceps injury Leonard suffered in last year's conference finals was originally only going to cost him the preseason, yet his timeline for a return to action constantly got pushed further back with no end in sight.
Leonard finally saw the floor on Dec. 12, playing on and off for the next month before being shut down for good so he could further rehab his quad. His recovery process, however, puzzled the Spurs' front office, as team doctors gave Leonard medical clearance to play, but his personal doctors reportedly did not, which is why he opted to remain sidelined.
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He's eligible to receive a super-max contract extension worth approximately $219 million, with the decision of whether or not to offer that to Leonard reportedly not only falling on management, but also on the current roster. There was a players-only meeting held last month after a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves that reportedly wasn't entirely about Leonard, but did provide a platform for everyone to voice their concerns.
As Wright pointed out, Popovich has been down this road before with another star of his in LaMarcus Aldridge. The big man was frustrated over his role with the Spurs following arguably the worst season of his career in 2016-17, and even went as far as asking for a trade. The two eventually came to a mutual understanding after Aldridge "spilled his heart out," and with Leonard out of the picture, Aldridge earned himself his sixth All-Star nod while boosting his scoring by nearly six points per game this season.
Leonard, meanwhile, averaged just 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds across his nine outings in 2017-18, down from his 25.5 points and 5.8 boards the prior year.