Following a 4-1 early exit from the 2018 postseason, the veteran-laded San Antonio Spurs are expected to hold an important, all-hands-on-deck meeting with talisman and superstar small foward Kawhi Leonard, who will enter a crucial offseason, impacting his future with the team, this comes according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright.
Popovich, who was absent from the sidelines for the team's last three games, mourning the loss of his wife Erin, will spearhead the meeting in an effort to gauge whether Leonard and the organization can work out their differences and build on what had been a partnership throughout his first six seasons in the league.
Rumors have run rampant about the disconnect between Leonard's camp and the organization amid disagreements on his recovery protocol, an issue that could have him consider his future with the Spurs, coming into his last two seasons of a five-year, $94.3 million contract — the last of which is a player-option.
“Kawhi, everybody asks questions, but he's still here,” said teammate Danny Green. “He's still locked in. He's a part of the team until things change.”
He's slated to potentially receive a five-year, $219 supermax deal, but questions have arisen about his desire to be with the team long-term, which are bound to be addressed during the meeting.
Leonard's future will play a huge role in the rest of the free agent situations in San Antonio, making him the key cog in an equation yet to be resolved.
“You never know what happens, right, during the summer. What moves can happen,” said veteran center Pau Gasol. “On our team, from my understanding, there are six or seven guys who are restricted free agents or [have] player options, and then we have the situation that we all know of [Leonard] that we don't know how that's going to resolve, to be honest. From that standpoint, we'll see.”
“Right now is not a time to really think about it or make any decisions. It's just a time to digest what's happened this year, and we'll have plenty of time to discuss next season and what can happen.”
The Spurs lost Game 5 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, eliminating them from playoff contention after mustering the seventh seed in the West with a 47-35 record on the season.
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