You can’t blame the San Antonio Spurs for not having a lot of love for Kawhi Leonard. After all, Leonard forced a trade away from their beloved team, and his exit sent the franchise into a painful rebuilding process that is still underway.

Leonard returned to San Antonio on Wednesday night as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and was expectedly met with loud boos from the home fans. And while Leonard might not have been paying attention to them, Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t having any of that.

Late in the second quarter, as the boos grew louder when Leonard stepped on the free throw line, Popovich decided to take the arena mic and address the Spurs fans.

“Excuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play?” Popovich said. “It’s got no class. It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Popovich’s plea didn’t actually work as the Spurs fans continued to relentlessly boo Leonard. But the superstar forward himself doesn’t seem to mind them much.

“If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career,” Leonard said after the game, which the Clippers won 102-109. “But I mean, it is what it is. Like I said, they’re one of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive.”

Kawhi Leonard started his career with the Spurs in 2011. He helped the franchise win its most recent championship in 2014 while establishing himself as one of the league’s best players. Leonard’s relationship with the franchise broke down during his injury issues in 2017–18 and he ended up forcing a trade to the Toronto Raptors after the season.

The post Gregg Popovich Tells Spurs Fans to Stop Booing Kawhi Leonard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After criticizing his former player Kawhi Leonard for lack of leadership skills, San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Leonard, who now plays for Toronto Raptors, said that he heard about Popovich’s comments and called them “funny.”

“I heard about it. It’s just funny to me because, you know, I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not, but I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead,” – Leonard told reporters. “Other than that, it doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors. My focus is on the season and not what’s going on the other side.“

According to Leonard, he is a leader but shows it in another way.

“I lead by example coming into practice every day. Just going hard and coming into these games mentally focused,” – the 27-year-old added.

Although Kawhi Leonard supposed to be the Spurs’ franchise player for years to come, the relationship between him and the organization became fractured after he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Leonard and Spurs had disputes over the way his injury should be handled, and the player ended up making a trade request in June 2018.

Leonard ended up being traded to Toronto Raptors alongside Danny Green, in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.

So far in the 2018-19 season, Kawhi Leonard played 15 games for the Raptors, averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The post Kawhi Leonard Says Gregg Popovich’s Criticism of Him is “Funny” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard remained silent for the most of trade saga which ultimately saw him leaving the San Antonio Spurs and ending up with the Toronto Raptors. Now, after the trade is finalized, Leonard spoke out for the first time via a farewell letter sent to San Antonio Express-News.

In this letter, Kawhi Leonard summed everything he feels in two simple words: “Thank you.” The 27-year-old thanked San Antonio Spurs organization, coach Gregg Popovich, former teammates and the fans.

“I have been going back and forth the last few weeks trying to figure out the right things to say, and it comes down to two simple words: THANK YOU!” – Leonard wrote. “My family and I want to say THANK YOU to the entire Spurs organization and the people and fans of San Antonio.“

Spurs decided to trade Kawhi Leonard after the relationship between the two sides became irreparable. Leonard didn’t like the way the team’s doctors handled his injury last season and felt like he couldn’t trust organization anymore. He then asked to be traded and listed Los Angeles Lakers or Clippers as his preferred destinations, wanting to return to his hometown.

But Spurs ended up sending him out of the country, accepting the offer they think was the best.

“Through all the ups and downs — I’m glad there were many more ups! — I’ll never forget what we have shared and accomplished together,” – Leonard concluded his letter. “While I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my career, I’ll always remember the city and the people of San Antonio!“

The post Kawhi Leonard Pens a Farewell Letter to Spurs’ Fans and Organization appeared first on SportzBonanza.

And just when you thought NBA drama is over for this summer, Kawhi Leonard somehow ends up in Canada.

NBA insiders are reporting that Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs have agreed on a trade that would send Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. The first round pick is protected from 1-20 and will convert to two second-round pick if not conveyed.

With this trade, ends the saga about Kawhi Leonard’s future, who asked for a trade from the Spurs at the beginning of the offseason. Leonard and the Spurs organization have been on bad terms since January when the 27-year-old wanted to seek another opinion on his quadriceps tendinopathy although he was cleared to play by the team’s doctors. This caused lots of miscommunication and disagreement between the two sides, and Leonard eventually decided he doesn’t want to play in San Antonio and asked to be traded to one of Los Angeles teams, Lakers or Clippers.

Although Kawhi Leonard to Raptors comes as a surprise for the casual NBA fans, since Toronto wasn’t mentioned as the potential destination, the team has been working on a trade with the Spurs for two weeks. The trade had several other variations and almost fell through before becoming finalized in on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/b5NxE0Q4YY

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 18, 2018

pic.twitter.com/8ILuDeZdvQ

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 18, 2018

Raptors will hope that they can repeat what Oklahoma City Thunder did with Paul George, and convince Leonard to resign with them despite his clear wish to be in Los Angeles. They can offer him five-year, $190 million contract in the summer while other teams can sign him on a four-year, $141 million deal.

Spurs, on the other side, get a 23+ points-a-game-player who is still under contract for three seasons in DeRozan, and a valuable rotation piece in Poeltl.

Thank you for everything, DeMar pic.twitter.com/nMkhAeH1He

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 18, 2018

The post Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard Traded to Raptors for DeMar DeRozan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

While other NBA stars are changing teams, signing new contracts and making surprise moves, Kawhi Leonard is staying put. Although Leonard was expected to be one of the first ones to make a move this offseason, it looks like his San Antonio Spurs are still not getting offers they want from other teams. And according to reports, they want a massive haul.

According to Yahoo Sports, Spurs have engaged into talks with Lakers about Kawhi Leonard trade, and they are asking Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, two first-round picks, and two draft pick swaps. In any other situation, this would be a fair trade given that Leonard is the league’s best two-way player and third best NBA player when healthy.

The thing is that Leonard has publicly stated that he wants to play in Los Angeles, and has only one year left on his contract. This means that Lakers don’t have a big motivation to send so many young promising players and draft assets for a player they could get for free in a year. Still, they have decided to play a waiting game with Paul George last year, and he ended up signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Another thing that might not work in Lakers’ favor are the recent reports that Kawhi Leonard is more interested in playing for the Los Angeles Clippers than Lakers. The word on the street is that Leonard wouldn’t be too happy about joining forces with LeBron James and forming another superteam.

There are also other NBA teams exploring the idea to trade for Leonard, but they aren’t willing to give up much since they are not sure they can keep him after next year. Philadelphia 76ers are willing to offer a package of players and draft picks but are not willing to include Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Markele Fultz into negotiations. Boston Celtics would also make a deal if the trade wouldn’t include Jayson Tatum or Jalen Brown.

The post Spurs Reportedly Asking Massive Haul from Lakers in Exchange for Kawhi Leonard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has reportedly traveled to Southern California on Tuesday and met with his star player Kawhi Leonard. Popovich decided to make a trip and talk with Leonard after the player made a trade request last week. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN reporting with @ramonashelburne: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is traveling to Southern California with the intention of meeting with franchise star Kawhi Leonard prior to Thursday’s NBA Draft. Story soon on site.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2018

Gregg Popovich was trying to organize a meeting with Kawhi Leonard for weeks now, so the two could discuss the issues Leonard has with the Spurs. The 26-year-old has been unhappy with the organization and the way they handled his quad injury which made him miss all but nine games in the past season. Last week he reportedly notified the organization that he wants out and named the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred destination.

According to sources close to the situation, Leonard has been avoiding meeting with Popovich, and even when the meeting happened, he didn’t want to come along and brought his uncle Dennis Robertson. Robertson, who is also Kawhi’s manager, is reportedly the one pushing the player to leave the Spurs.

Spurs, on the other hand, are trying to handle this situation patiently. Although they have encouraged teams to send proposals, they will not rush into making a trade and hope they will eventually work out the issues with the player.

Kawhi Leonard currently has two years left on his deal but can opt out and become a free agent in 2019. He is eligible to sign a super-max deal with the San Antonio Spurs, which would see him earning $219 million over five years.

Although it looks like Leonard is already out of the door, it is important to note that San Antonio Spurs had a similar situation with LaMarcus Aldridge last summer. Aldridge wanted out, but the Spurs managed to make amends with him and ended up signing him to a contract extension.

The post Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich Meets with Kawhi Leonard Following His Trade Request appeared first on SportzBonanza.

You can’t blame the San Antonio Spurs for not having a lot of love for Kawhi Leonard. After all, Leonard forced a trade away from their beloved team, and his exit sent the franchise into a painful rebuilding process that is still underway.

Leonard returned to San Antonio on Wednesday night as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and was expectedly met with loud boos from the home fans. And while Leonard might not have been paying attention to them, Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich wasn’t having any of that.

Late in the second quarter, as the boos grew louder when Leonard stepped on the free throw line, Popovich decided to take the arena mic and address the Spurs fans.

“Excuse me for a second. Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play?” Popovich said. “It’s got no class. It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Popovich’s plea didn’t actually work as the Spurs fans continued to relentlessly boo Leonard. But the superstar forward himself doesn’t seem to mind them much.

“If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career,” Leonard said after the game, which the Clippers won 102-109. “But I mean, it is what it is. Like I said, they’re one of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive.”

Kawhi Leonard started his career with the Spurs in 2011. He helped the franchise win its most recent championship in 2014 while establishing himself as one of the league’s best players. Leonard’s relationship with the franchise broke down during his injury issues in 2017–18 and he ended up forcing a trade to the Toronto Raptors after the season.

The post Gregg Popovich Tells Spurs Fans to Stop Booing Kawhi Leonard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After criticizing his former player Kawhi Leonard for lack of leadership skills, San Antonio Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Leonard, who now plays for Toronto Raptors, said that he heard about Popovich’s comments and called them “funny.”

“I heard about it. It’s just funny to me because, you know, I don’t know if he’s talking about last year or not, but I guess when you stop playing they forget how you lead,” – Leonard told reporters. “Other than that, it doesn’t matter. I’m here with the Raptors. My focus is on the season and not what’s going on the other side.“

According to Leonard, he is a leader but shows it in another way.

“I lead by example coming into practice every day. Just going hard and coming into these games mentally focused,” – the 27-year-old added.

Although Kawhi Leonard supposed to be the Spurs’ franchise player for years to come, the relationship between him and the organization became fractured after he suffered an injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Leonard and Spurs had disputes over the way his injury should be handled, and the player ended up making a trade request in June 2018.

Leonard ended up being traded to Toronto Raptors alongside Danny Green, in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.

So far in the 2018-19 season, Kawhi Leonard played 15 games for the Raptors, averaging 24.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

The post Kawhi Leonard Says Gregg Popovich’s Criticism of Him is “Funny” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kawhi Leonard remained silent for the most of trade saga which ultimately saw him leaving the San Antonio Spurs and ending up with the Toronto Raptors. Now, after the trade is finalized, Leonard spoke out for the first time via a farewell letter sent to San Antonio Express-News.

In this letter, Kawhi Leonard summed everything he feels in two simple words: “Thank you.” The 27-year-old thanked San Antonio Spurs organization, coach Gregg Popovich, former teammates and the fans.

“I have been going back and forth the last few weeks trying to figure out the right things to say, and it comes down to two simple words: THANK YOU!” – Leonard wrote. “My family and I want to say THANK YOU to the entire Spurs organization and the people and fans of San Antonio.“

Spurs decided to trade Kawhi Leonard after the relationship between the two sides became irreparable. Leonard didn’t like the way the team’s doctors handled his injury last season and felt like he couldn’t trust organization anymore. He then asked to be traded and listed Los Angeles Lakers or Clippers as his preferred destinations, wanting to return to his hometown.

But Spurs ended up sending him out of the country, accepting the offer they think was the best.

“Through all the ups and downs — I’m glad there were many more ups! — I’ll never forget what we have shared and accomplished together,” – Leonard concluded his letter. “While I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my career, I’ll always remember the city and the people of San Antonio!“

The post Kawhi Leonard Pens a Farewell Letter to Spurs’ Fans and Organization appeared first on SportzBonanza.

And just when you thought NBA drama is over for this summer, Kawhi Leonard somehow ends up in Canada.

NBA insiders are reporting that Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs have agreed on a trade that would send Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round pick. The first round pick is protected from 1-20 and will convert to two second-round pick if not conveyed.

With this trade, ends the saga about Kawhi Leonard’s future, who asked for a trade from the Spurs at the beginning of the offseason. Leonard and the Spurs organization have been on bad terms since January when the 27-year-old wanted to seek another opinion on his quadriceps tendinopathy although he was cleared to play by the team’s doctors. This caused lots of miscommunication and disagreement between the two sides, and Leonard eventually decided he doesn’t want to play in San Antonio and asked to be traded to one of Los Angeles teams, Lakers or Clippers.

Although Kawhi Leonard to Raptors comes as a surprise for the casual NBA fans, since Toronto wasn’t mentioned as the potential destination, the team has been working on a trade with the Spurs for two weeks. The trade had several other variations and almost fell through before becoming finalized in on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/b5NxE0Q4YY

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 18, 2018

pic.twitter.com/8ILuDeZdvQ

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 18, 2018

Raptors will hope that they can repeat what Oklahoma City Thunder did with Paul George, and convince Leonard to resign with them despite his clear wish to be in Los Angeles. They can offer him five-year, $190 million contract in the summer while other teams can sign him on a four-year, $141 million deal.

Spurs, on the other side, get a 23+ points-a-game-player who is still under contract for three seasons in DeRozan, and a valuable rotation piece in Poeltl.

Thank you for everything, DeMar pic.twitter.com/nMkhAeH1He

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 18, 2018

The post Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard Traded to Raptors for DeMar DeRozan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

While other NBA stars are changing teams, signing new contracts and making surprise moves, Kawhi Leonard is staying put. Although Leonard was expected to be one of the first ones to make a move this offseason, it looks like his San Antonio Spurs are still not getting offers they want from other teams. And according to reports, they want a massive haul.

According to Yahoo Sports, Spurs have engaged into talks with Lakers about Kawhi Leonard trade, and they are asking Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, two first-round picks, and two draft pick swaps. In any other situation, this would be a fair trade given that Leonard is the league’s best two-way player and third best NBA player when healthy.

The thing is that Leonard has publicly stated that he wants to play in Los Angeles, and has only one year left on his contract. This means that Lakers don’t have a big motivation to send so many young promising players and draft assets for a player they could get for free in a year. Still, they have decided to play a waiting game with Paul George last year, and he ended up signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Another thing that might not work in Lakers’ favor are the recent reports that Kawhi Leonard is more interested in playing for the Los Angeles Clippers than Lakers. The word on the street is that Leonard wouldn’t be too happy about joining forces with LeBron James and forming another superteam.

There are also other NBA teams exploring the idea to trade for Leonard, but they aren’t willing to give up much since they are not sure they can keep him after next year. Philadelphia 76ers are willing to offer a package of players and draft picks but are not willing to include Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Markele Fultz into negotiations. Boston Celtics would also make a deal if the trade wouldn’t include Jayson Tatum or Jalen Brown.

The post Spurs Reportedly Asking Massive Haul from Lakers in Exchange for Kawhi Leonard appeared first on SportzBonanza.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has reportedly traveled to Southern California on Tuesday and met with his star player Kawhi Leonard. Popovich decided to make a trip and talk with Leonard after the player made a trade request last week. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN reporting with @ramonashelburne: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is traveling to Southern California with the intention of meeting with franchise star Kawhi Leonard prior to Thursday’s NBA Draft. Story soon on site.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2018

Gregg Popovich was trying to organize a meeting with Kawhi Leonard for weeks now, so the two could discuss the issues Leonard has with the Spurs. The 26-year-old has been unhappy with the organization and the way they handled his quad injury which made him miss all but nine games in the past season. Last week he reportedly notified the organization that he wants out and named the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred destination.

According to sources close to the situation, Leonard has been avoiding meeting with Popovich, and even when the meeting happened, he didn’t want to come along and brought his uncle Dennis Robertson. Robertson, who is also Kawhi’s manager, is reportedly the one pushing the player to leave the Spurs.

Spurs, on the other hand, are trying to handle this situation patiently. Although they have encouraged teams to send proposals, they will not rush into making a trade and hope they will eventually work out the issues with the player.

Kawhi Leonard currently has two years left on his deal but can opt out and become a free agent in 2019. He is eligible to sign a super-max deal with the San Antonio Spurs, which would see him earning $219 million over five years.

Although it looks like Leonard is already out of the door, it is important to note that San Antonio Spurs had a similar situation with LaMarcus Aldridge last summer. Aldridge wanted out, but the Spurs managed to make amends with him and ended up signing him to a contract extension.

The post Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich Meets with Kawhi Leonard Following His Trade Request appeared first on SportzBonanza.