NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The Detroit Pistons have broadcast their interest in Kawhi Leonard for several months, now, though it has always seemed like a long shot. That interest was stoked again when it was mentioned on one of the league’s biggest platforms during the NBA Draft. Brian Windhorst said Detroit was interested in going “big game hunting” and named Kawhi as a potential target.
But interest needs to be a two-way street, especially when it involves a star player, and doubly so when it is a star player on an expiring contract. Unfortunately, it seems like Detroit’s interest is a one-way affair.
Advertisement
Jake Fischer writes on Marc Stein’s Substack that Leonard has made it known that Detroit is not a place he’s interested in landing. “And sources say that Leonard would not have interest in signing an extension
with Detroit in the event that the Pistons traded for him this summer,” Fischer writes.
Leonard might famously be a man of few words, but you should always listen when he decides to make his intentions known. When he was traded from the Spurs to the Toronto Raptors for the first time, he made it clear he wasn’t going to re-sign with the Raptors and was eyeing a move to the West Coast.
He won a championship and signed with the Clippers the next season.
The Raptors got a title out of it, so they have no regrets, but it is hard to make the case for taking such a big swing if he has no intention of returning to the Pistons. He is currently making $50 million in the final year of his deal. He is also still ensnared in a league investigation tied to off-book payments allegedly sent to Leonard and his circle through Clippers subsidiaries. Brian Windhorst, speaking Thursday morning on ESPN’s Get Up, said that he is unsure if the league would allow the Clippers to trade Leonard until the investigation is over.
Advertisement
It’s a shame, too, because Leonard would be a perfect fit for exactly what Detroit needs. A versatile forward who can play both spots, he has range, high-efficiency scoring, and plays excellent defense. He’d fit in seamlessly alongside Ausar Thompson, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Duren.
Leonard…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kawhi-leonard-no-extension-traded-212639364.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-06-25 21:26:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
