Kawhi Leonard Wants to Finish Career with the Spurs

Kawhi Leonard Wants to Finish Career with the Spurs

Kawhi Leonard finally addressed the media at the Spurs' practice facility on Wednesday. He stated that he hopes to play again before the end of this season and that he would like to retire with the Spurs.

Kawhi Leonard finally addressed the media at the Spurs' practice facility on Wednesday. He stated that he hopes to play again before the end of this season and that he would like to retire with the Spurs.

On Wednesday, Kawhi Leonard addressed the media for the first time since January 13th.

The main topic of conversation was the same as it has been all season: the strange, non-healing injury to the 26-year-old’s quadriceps that has limited him to just nine games this season.

Last week, Spurs’ fans received the welcome news that Leonard hopes to return to gameplay in March. He further reiterated this point on Wednesday.

"I don't have a set date right now [for my return]," Leonard said, per Michael C. Wright. "The progress I've been making has been great. [The pain] is diminishing. It's hard to explain, but I'm definitely better. I feel better, and I'm feeling more comfortable."

A healthy Kawhi Leonard would definitely be a welcome addition to this Spurs team. They currently sit in the fifth seed of the Western Conference, just two games ahead of the eighth seed Denver Nuggets. With one of the most challenging remaining schedules, there is the real possibility that the Spurs will fall out of the playoffs. 

Though the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is optimistic about his chances to return, he emphasized that he will not return until he is ready.

"We've taken the right steps. We don't want to take any steps back and just aggravate things,” Leonard continued. “Like I said: It's hard to explain. But obviously, I'm a competitor, and if I can play, I'm going to go out and play like I did in the nine games, just to test it out. It just wasn't where we wanted it to be."

Leonard also denied rumors that there was friction between him and the Spurs organization over the handling of his rehabilitation.

“Everything was done as a group. I don't feel like there was friction. I talked with Pop every day. He knew what the progressions were. He knew what I was doing the whole entire time as well as the front office. We made a group decision. So it wasn't me just going out and saying, 'I'm going to go do this.'"

But the most encouraging words from Leonard came at the end of the session. When a reporter asked if he would like to finish his career as a Spur, he replied, “Yeah, sure.”

It was a welcome surprise to hear these open, reassuring statements from the Spurs’ star forward after the bizarre series of events that have plagued his season. San Antonio can offer Leonard a supermax, 5 year deal with the Spurs this summer, and this news makes the likelihood of him signing much higher.

However, it doesn’t mean anything yet. Considering Leonard is still not playing and is approaching free agency in 2019, this turmoil could be far from over. After all, not so long ago Kevin Durant said he wanted to finish his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to join the Golden State Warriors the next summer.

Until Kawhi Leonard is healthy and has signed an extension with the team, his future with the Spurs remains uncertain.

On Wednesday, Kawhi Leonard addressed the media for the first time since January 13th.

The main topic of conversation was the same as it has been all season: the strange, non-healing injury to the 26-year-old’s quadriceps that has limited him to just nine games this season.

Last week, Spurs’ fans received the welcome news that Leonard hopes to return to gameplay in March. He further reiterated this point on Wednesday.

"I don't have a set date right now [for my return]," Leonard said, per Michael C. Wright. "The progress I've been making has been great. [The pain] is diminishing. It's hard to explain, but I'm definitely better. I feel better, and I'm feeling more comfortable."

A healthy Kawhi Leonard would definitely be a welcome addition to this Spurs team. They currently sit in the fifth seed of the Western Conference, just two games ahead of the eighth seed Denver Nuggets. With one of the most challenging remaining schedules, there is the real possibility that the Spurs will fall out of the playoffs. 

Though the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is optimistic about his chances to return, he emphasized that he will not return until he is ready.

"We've taken the right steps. We don't want to take any steps back and just aggravate things,” Leonard continued. “Like I said: It's hard to explain. But obviously, I'm a competitor, and if I can play, I'm going to go out and play like I did in the nine games, just to test it out. It just wasn't where we wanted it to be."

Leonard also denied rumors that there was friction between him and the Spurs organization over the handling of his rehabilitation.

“Everything was done as a group. I don't feel like there was friction. I talked with Pop every day. He knew what the progressions were. He knew what I was doing the whole entire time as well as the front office. We made a group decision. So it wasn't me just going out and saying, 'I'm going to go do this.'"

But the most encouraging words from Leonard came at the end of the session. When a reporter asked if he would like to finish his career as a Spur, he replied, “Yeah, sure.”

It was a welcome surprise to hear these open, reassuring statements from the Spurs’ star forward after the bizarre series of events that have plagued his season. San Antonio can offer Leonard a supermax, 5 year deal with the Spurs this summer, and this news makes the likelihood of him signing much higher.

However, it doesn’t mean anything yet. Considering Leonard is still not playing and is approaching free agency in 2019, this turmoil could be far from over. After all, not so long ago Kevin Durant said he wanted to finish his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to join the Golden State Warriors the next summer.

Until Kawhi Leonard is healthy and has signed an extension with the team, his future with the Spurs remains uncertain.

Premium Yahoo, ESPN & Fantrax Tools

Unlock our premium Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax league tools with an active Patreon subscription for $2/mo and get access to the following tools using data from Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax leagues:

  • Premium Schedule Grid
  • Waiver Wire Rankings
  • Draft Tracker
  • Matchup Planner
  • Trade Machine
  • Waiver Machine
  • League Scouting Report
  • Team Scouting Report
  • Beast Mode

Learn about our premium tools