The Los Angeles Clippers have superstars Kawhie Leonard and Paul George under contract for just one more year, putting the franchise in the danger of collapsing if the duo decides to move on. Still, Clippers’ new head coach Ty Lue believes there is no room for worry.

In a recent chat with ESPN, Lue talked about the Clippers’ struggles last season and the concerns of some fans that Leonard and George might opt to enter the free agency next summer. For the 43-year-old coach, that doesn’t seem to be an option as he believes the duo is there to stay.

“I think Kawhi and PG are here to stay for a long time,” said Lue. “I think, in their situation and where they want to be, it’s here with the Clippers.”

Lue, who spent the past season as an assistant, also explained that he and the rest of the organization need to do their part in putting Leonard and George in the position to win.

“We just have to make it a great environment, and we have to win,” he added.

It is great that Lue remains positive, but the fact is that the departure of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would equal a disaster for LA Clippers. While the franchise brought in Leonard for free, they needed to part ways with a scary package to get in George, including five first-round draft picks and talented guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

This makes it imperative for the Clippers to do everything to keep Leonard and George on board. Any other scenario would put them in an even worse situation than in the 2000s when playoffs were wishful thinking for the franchise. 

The post Clippers Coach Ty Lue: “I Think Kawhi and PG Are Here to Stay” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a shocking collapse in this year’s playoffs, Los Angeles Clippers decided to make some changes to position themselves in a more successful run in 2020/21. The organization already made a change in the head coaching position and could reportedly follow that by adding a new floor general.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently reported that Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard has requested from the front office to add a point guard in the offseason. According to Smith, Leonard would like to play with a guard that “can run a team and can shoot,” something Clippers lack at the moment.

Clippers have Patrick Beverley at the guard but he isn’t exactly a capable creator or facilitator. Beverley brings energy on the defensive end of the ball but is often a liability on the offense. Backup Lou Williams, on the other hand, is focused too much on scoring and can’t do much in other departments.

If the LA Clippers decide to give Leonard what he wants, they would need to be creative. On the free-agent market, they could go for Slovenian playmaker Goran Dragic, but it is highly unlikely that he would accept mid-level exception money, which is the max the Clippers can offer him.

On the other hand, there is always an option for the Clippers to execute a trade. Beverley and Williams might be moved on, as well as youngster Landry Shamet. Dealing Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell through sign-and-trade is also a possibility.

The path that Clippers take will also depend on the style of basketball that new head coach Ty Lue wants to play. But something tells us that Leonard’s wishes won’t be disregarded, especially since he can opt-out of his contract after next season.

The post Kawhi Leonard Demands from Clippers to Add a Point Guard 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.

The Los Angeles Clippers have superstars Kawhie Leonard and Paul George under contract for just one more year, putting the franchise in the danger of collapsing if the duo decides to move on. Still, Clippers’ new head coach Ty Lue believes there is no room for worry.

In a recent chat with ESPN, Lue talked about the Clippers’ struggles last season and the concerns of some fans that Leonard and George might opt to enter the free agency next summer. For the 43-year-old coach, that doesn’t seem to be an option as he believes the duo is there to stay.

“I think Kawhi and PG are here to stay for a long time,” said Lue. “I think, in their situation and where they want to be, it’s here with the Clippers.”

Lue, who spent the past season as an assistant, also explained that he and the rest of the organization need to do their part in putting Leonard and George in the position to win.

“We just have to make it a great environment, and we have to win,” he added.

It is great that Lue remains positive, but the fact is that the departure of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would equal a disaster for LA Clippers. While the franchise brought in Leonard for free, they needed to part ways with a scary package to get in George, including five first-round draft picks and talented guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

This makes it imperative for the Clippers to do everything to keep Leonard and George on board. Any other scenario would put them in an even worse situation than in the 2000s when playoffs were wishful thinking for the franchise. 

The post Clippers Coach Ty Lue: “I Think Kawhi and PG Are Here to Stay” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a shocking collapse in this year’s playoffs, Los Angeles Clippers decided to make some changes to position themselves in a more successful run in 2020/21. The organization already made a change in the head coaching position and could reportedly follow that by adding a new floor general.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently reported that Clippers’ superstar Kawhi Leonard has requested from the front office to add a point guard in the offseason. According to Smith, Leonard would like to play with a guard that “can run a team and can shoot,” something Clippers lack at the moment.

Clippers have Patrick Beverley at the guard but he isn’t exactly a capable creator or facilitator. Beverley brings energy on the defensive end of the ball but is often a liability on the offense. Backup Lou Williams, on the other hand, is focused too much on scoring and can’t do much in other departments.

If the LA Clippers decide to give Leonard what he wants, they would need to be creative. On the free-agent market, they could go for Slovenian playmaker Goran Dragic, but it is highly unlikely that he would accept mid-level exception money, which is the max the Clippers can offer him.

On the other hand, there is always an option for the Clippers to execute a trade. Beverley and Williams might be moved on, as well as youngster Landry Shamet. Dealing Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell through sign-and-trade is also a possibility.

The path that Clippers take will also depend on the style of basketball that new head coach Ty Lue wants to play. But something tells us that Leonard’s wishes won’t be disregarded, especially since he can opt-out of his contract after next season.

The post Kawhi Leonard Demands from Clippers to Add a Point Guard 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.