The second round of the draft came and went mostly unceremoniously, but a few trade rumors cropped up during the broadcast. One of them involved the Spurs and an unlikely trade target. While discussing Kawhi Leonard’s future, his “former teams” were listed among those “keeping an eye on” the situation, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Now, bear in mind that Marks was reluctant to name any potential trade destinations, first saying that several playoff teams were interested. Brian Windhorst confidently suggested that the Pistons were one of them before Marks, prompted by the host, sheepishly said that “maybe” Leonard’s former teams, the Raptors and Spurs, would be potential landing spots. It wasn’t a strong report naming San Antonio as actively engaged in talks. The Silver and Black were mentioned as a franchise that is, again, keeping an eye on things.
That being said, the fact that the Spurs were even mentioned by insiders as a team that is potentially trying to acquire Leonard is shocking, considering how messy their breakup was. For those who don’t remember, here’s a short and incomplete summary: The team’s medical staff and Leonard’s doctors disagreed on the diagnosis of an injury. The first disagreement led to Kawhi refusing to play while cleared. Tensions rose until the future Hall-of-Famer and his controversial representative and uncle, Dennis Robertson, forced their way out. Instead of sending him to Los Angeles, as Leonard wanted, San Antonio’s front office sent him to Toronto, where he won a title before signing with the Clippers in free agency.
Leonard has been repeatedly injured since the initial trade and for a sizable part of his Clippers tenure, but had a bounce-back year in 2025/26, playing 32 minutes a night on the 65 games he suited up for and posting a career-high in points per game. His fantastic performance on the floor was often overshadowed by an off-court scandal. The NBA is currently investigating the Clippers for circumventing the salary cap to pay Leonard by funding a sponsor that gave him a large deal without asking anything in return from Leonard. In the past, Robertson had reportedly asked for no-show endorsement deals, among other things, but the league found no evidence of wrongdoing back in 2019.
From a purely basketball-related standpoint, Leonard could be a great fit in San Antonio. He’s not the All-NBA defender he once was, but he can still guard multiple positions, and he’s a deadly scorer with the size to play either forward spot. He would represent a significant upgrade as a starter over either Devin Vassell or Julian Champagnie. He has championship experience and can create for himself in the clutch. If he’s healthy enough to play 60+ regular-season games and be in rhythm for the postseason, he’d make the team better.
The question is, how would the Spurs acquire him? The simplest transaction would be to trade De’Aaron Fox for Leonard, but such a move seems unlikely. Not only did general manager Brian Wright assure the media and fans that the franchise had full trust in Fox despite a poor showing in the Finals, but even if San Antonio was willing to trade Fox, why would the Clippers agree to such a deal? They drafted Kingston Flemings sixth overall in the 2026 draft and have Darius Garland making a lot of money on their books, which makes them unlikely to covet another point guard. A third team would likely be necessary.
Beyond the logistics of a potential trade, would Leonard be happy returning to the Spurs? And would Spurs fans embrace him after all the drama? The decision-makers seem to have made their peace with what happened, with Gregg Popovich scolding fans for booing Kawhi back in 2023, but Leonard never expressed remorse for how things went in San Antonio, and a lot of fans haven’t forgiven him. Leonard is also extension-eligible, which could make things awkward fast if he doesn’t commit to the team or the front office hesitates to offer him long-term money.
For now, this is only a rumor. It’s completely possible Leonard stays with the Clippers or is traded somewhere else. There’s even a very small possibility that his contract is voided if the league finds evidence of cap circumvention after ending the investigation. Nothing seems imminent.
It will be interesting to see if the rumor turns into a report soon, as the league approaches the more hectic time of the offseason, free agency. At this point, a reunion seems unlikely for many reasons, but stranger things have happened in the NBA.
So, Spurs fans, how would you feel about Leonard potentially returning to San Antonio? Let us know in the comments.
