The San Antonio Spurs just went to the NBA Finals. They lost. But they went. For a team that was supposed to be rebuilding, that’s ahead of schedule by a lot. Now comes the hard part: figuring out what to do next.
One name keeps popping up in trade conversations around the league. And it’s a name Spurs fans know well, even if the relationship ended ugly.
Kawhi Leonard.
During the NBA Draft broadcast, ESPN’s Bobby Marks dropped a hint that multiple playoff teams are watching Leonard’s situation in Los Angeles. When asked which teams, Marks said, ‘Maybe his former teams.’
That’s not nothing. Leonard played for exactly two teams before the Clippers: the Spurs and the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are also reportedly sniffing around the trade market — they’ve been linked to LaMelo Ball — but San Antonio has the cap flexibility and the young assets to make a deal work if they want one.
A Kawhi return would be one of the wildest reunions in recent NBA history. He was drafted 15th overall by the Spurs in 2011. He won Finals MVP in 2014, shutting down LeBron James. He became an MVP-level superstar. Then came the 2017 hamstring injury, the dispute with the team’s medical staff, and the trade to Toronto that ended with another ring.
That breakup was bitter. Fans booed him for years. The silence between the franchise and the player was loud. But time has passed, rosters have turned over, and the Spurs are in a different place now.
Victor Wembanyama is the centerpiece. The Spurs just rode him and a smart young core to the Finals. If you slot Leonard into that lineup — even an older, less explosive version of him — the math changes fast. Wembanyama protects the rim. Leonard guards the best wing. It’s a pairing that didn’t exist before and could be terrifying for the rest of the West.
The question is whether the Clippers would actually move him. They’ve been hesitant in the past. But Leonard’s injury history and the team’s inability to stay healthy have left the door open. Teams are calling. The price will be high.
And then there’s the crowd reaction in San Antonio. Would they boo him on opening night? Cheer him? Sit in awkward silence? That’s a story on its own. But the basketball fit is real enough that the Spurs have to at least pick up the phone.
Nothing is close. The team hasn’t confirmed any talks. But the rumor is alive, and it makes more sense now than it would have two years ago.
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