Raptors & Spurs Reportedly Keeping Close Eye as Kawhi Leonard's Clippers Future Hangs in Balance

Two weeks into the NBA offseason, and teams are already making big moves. Giannis Antetokounmpo got traded to the Miami Heat, and the Detroit Pistons cleared cap space by trading Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies. Now, analysts believe Kawhi Leonard could join that list if contract extension talks with the Clippers stall, and the Raptors & Spurs may show interest.

NBA insider Chris Haynes said the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard are at a crossroads. "If an extension is not worked out, I expect the Clippers look to move Kawhi," Haynes said on NBA TV. "I don’t expect that he will stay and play on an expiring deal."

ESPN's NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks seems to be indicating something similar. "I think there's a lot of playoff teams keeping an eye on what happens with Kawhi Leonard," Marks said on air.

When asked about which teams he was talking about, the insider said: "Maybe his former teams." He didn't clarify anything else, including which of the two teams was the favorite.

Leonard started his journey with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2011-12 NBA season and played six more seasons with them. He then joined the Raptors and played just one season for Toronto (2018-19) before joining the Clippers.

Meanwhile, contract negotiations haven't looked promising, with the Clippers reportedly demanding a significant pay cut for Kawhi Leonard. It's something Leonard's former teammate Lou Williams thinks he'll accept.

"Kawhi ain't taking no pay cut, I'll tell you that right now," Williams said on FanDuel on June 22. "This is a two-time NBA champion; he's seen it all, he feels accomplished, he's done everything he could do except win another championship."

Another insider painted a different picture for Kawhi Leonard

NBA insider Zach Harper also suggested in a recent episode of Run It Back that Leonard is unlikely to leave LA. Harper also believes that the star forward doesn't want to move out of Los Angeles.

"I don't think Kawhi is going anywhere," Harper said. "One, I don't think Steve Ballmer wants him to go anywhere. ... Steve Ballmer doesn't want to trade him."

Harper believes the Clippers would rather build a team around the 34-year-old star than rebuild and invest in younger talent.

"And, if he got traded, I've heard people like, 'Oh, what if he got traded to Detroit?' He doesn't want to play in Detroit. He wants to be in LA. That's where Kawhi wants to be, plain and simple."

However, none of this is officially confirmed as the Clippers haven't publicly expressed what they plan to do. For now, all we can do is wait for the Clippers' decision on Kawhi Leonard.