Kawhi Leonard, perhaps taking a cue from the recent trials and tribulations of Kevin Durant, took a very direct approach to answer questions about free agency. After his team's 104-99 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, the Toronto Raptors superstar simply refused to talk about anything other than the game.
Kawhi Leonard when facing the obiligatory free agency questions from New York media: "I'm not talking about that now. Ask me about the game."
And you know what? They did. Didn't seem that hard.— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) February 10, 2019
Durant, of course, made headlines earlier this week after calling out reporters for continuing to probe for hints about his plan in free agency this summer. He called The Athletic's Ethan Sherwood Strauss out specifically, angered by a story using anonymous sourcing – as is common in journalism, of course – that suggested Durant is interested in signing with the Knicks. Durant had spent the previous nine days electing against talking to the media, which in a way only further fueled an existing fire because his silence coincided with New York opening two max-level salary slots after trading Kristaps Porzingis.
Leonard is one of the league's quietest players and has been this way entire career. Reporters know there's no point in pressing him for answers he doesn't want to give, which obviously is something to be considered here, but his response to facing questions about free agency should serve as a valuable lesson for all players and coaches regardless. It's also worth noting that local New York media is less incentivized to push Leonard on the issue, given the widespread expectation he'll either re-sign with the Raptors or head home to the L.A. Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers come July.
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