Gregg Popovich vetoed the Los Angeles Lakers’ attempts to acquire Kawhi Leonard in 2018, according to former San Antonio Spurs vice president of strategic research Kirk Goldsberry.
Goldsberry told “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that the Lakers called the Spurs after Leonard’s relationship with the franchise deteriorated. “The Lakers were calling us in 2018, ‘Can we get Kawhi Leonard from you?’ And Pop was like, ‘F no,’” he recalled. “We’re not trading our best player to the team we think is a real threat to our championship hopes.”
Instead of sending Leonard to a Western Conference rival, San Antonio moved the forward to the Toronto Raptors, keeping him out of the conference and away from Los Angeles. Leonard helped Toronto win the 2019 NBA championship during his lone season with the Raptors.
Goldsberry said the Spurs front office believed Leonard would eventually return to Southern California, where he grew up, but Popovich still refused to strengthen a competing contender. “One of the things we knew back in 2018 was that he was gonna end up in Los Angeles a year or so later,” Goldsberry added.
The Lakers pursued Leonard again in 2019 free agency but watched him sign with the L.A. Clippers. The two-time Finals MVP has now made a surprising return to Toronto in one of this offseason’s headline moves.
Popovich’s stance differs from a recent Eastern Conference decision, where the Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, sending an All-Star to a direct rival.
Elsewhere, the NBA is still waiting on LeBron James’ free-agency choice. Reports indicate James will not re-sign with the Lakers and never met with team officials before deciding to test the market.
Source: Lakers Nation
