During the summer of 2018, Kawhi Leonard requested a trade from the San Antonio Spurs and was dealt to the Toronto Raptors. Several stuff transpired during the 2017-18 season which ultimately led to Leonard leaving the franchise, one of the hallmark organizations in the NBA.
Spurs legend Tony Parker’s comments about his quad injury being “a hundred times worse” than the ailment Leonard dealt with was the “last straw” for Kawhi, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
To recall, Parker sustained a ruptured left quadriceps in May of 2017 and underwent surgery. The procedure was done by Spurs doctors and Parker was able to make his return to the court in November of 2017.
Parker and Manu Ginobili led a players-only meeting in which the Spurs veterans asked Leonard whether he planned to return for the 2017-18 season. Leonard was reportedly caught off guard by the discussion and left the team for New York to rehab his injury.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year felt like he was being ambushed by San Antonio and needed space.
The Spurs were hoping head coach Gregg Popovich could convince Leonard to change his mind about the trade request since the two had such a strong bond. However, Leonard told Popovich during a meeting in San Diego that he wanted out of San Antonio, didn’t trust the Spurs medical team anymore and was hellbent on getting to Los Angeles to play for the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers.
San Antonio wasn't in the mood to do any favors for Kawhi Leonard. With that said, the franchise sent him to the Raptors, a team he had no interest in playing for before meeting with Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse.
However, the Spurs did have trade talks centered around Leonard with three other teams as well.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers and Spurs had plenty of dialogue surrounding a Leonard trade. Reports at the time said Los Angeles didn't want to part ways with both Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma for Leonard.
There were also reports that stated Leonard got turned off by the Lakers once LeBron James signed with the club in free agency on a four-year deal.
In the end, the Lakers didn't get Kawhi and watched him lead the Raptors to the 2019 title. Meanwhile, LeBron and the LakeShow missed the playoffs in 2018-19. It was the first time James missed the postseason since his second year in the NBA.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
Patience paid off for Leonard, who is now on the Clippers after signing with them during the summer of 2019. LAC tried very hard to get Kawhi in 2018, though.
The Clippers had the draft assets to help facilitate a trade for Leonard, but it never happened.
However, the franchise not only has Leonard now, but Paul George is also with the team after Kawhi convinced PG-13 to request a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clips last offseason.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
The Spurs reportedly set a steep asking price during negotiations with the Sixers over a potential Leonard trade. San Antonio sought three first-round picks and two members of the Sixers roster in return for Leonard.
It would have been neat to watch Leonard play with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Instead, Kawhi took out the Sixers in the second round of the 2019 playoffs by hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA history.
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