The San Antonio Spurs are fighting for their playoff lives, and there’s no Kawhi Leonard to help them extend their postseason streak to 21 straight years. The Spurs (46-34) are currently locked in a fifth-place tie with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder with two games remaining. While they are in fifth place, this is a precarious spot, as the ninth-place Denver Nuggets are just one game behind and a loss could drop coach Gregg Popovich’s men out of the playoff race. Recently, it was reported that the Spurs, spearheaded by veteran playmaker Tony Parker, confronted Leonard and asked him to return to action and help in their playoff quest.

However, Leonard rejected his teammates’ request, saying he’s not confident enough to play due to the quad issue that hounded him since the preseason.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the confrontation was tense and emotional at times. Popovich said Leonard will play if “he and his group feel he’s ready,” referring to his star’s team in New York where he’s currently undergoing rehab. Earlier, it was reported that the relationship between Leonard and the Spurs has been damaged since the team sidelined him indefinitely after playing just nine games this season. Former NBA point guard Nate Robinson also declared, per his sources, that Leonard wants out of San Antonio and is eyeing to play close to his hometown in California.

Matt Burke of Metro US said that Leonard could be eyeing either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Los Angeles Clippers.

Green discusses Kawhi’s situation

When asked about the team’s relationship with Leonard, Spurs shooting guard Danny Green said everything’s okay and they completely understand their teammate’s predicament. Green said he’s not aware of Leonard’s relationship with the front office, which constantly monitors his rehabilitation.

“From the team’s perspective, there’s nobody on our team that’s at odds with him,” said Green, assuring Leonard that they have his back. Green was the first one to deny Wojnarowski’s report about the Spurs' emotional meeting.

Green said James a perfect fit

There were reports that the Spurs could pursue Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James in the coming offseason.

James is set to become an unrestricted free agent and could leave the Cavaliers for the second time in his career. Green told Chris Broussard’s “In the Zone” podcast that Popovich will make sure that everything works out in case James decides to join the Spurs. Recently, Popovich lauded James after he broke the 30,000-point plateau, calling him a great competitor and a great player.
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