Kawhi Leonard says he wants to finish his career with the Spurs

Kawhi Leonard has put Spurs fans at ease today by telling reporters he wants to finish his career with San Antonio.

Kawhi Leonard soothed over rumors on Wednesday that he wants to depart from the Spurs. According to ESPN reporter Michael C. Wright, when asked if he wants to finish his career with the Spurs he responded in the affirmative, saying, “For sure.”

Remember that time DeMarcus Cousins was going to finish his career on the Sacramento Kings? How about the time Isaiah Thomas was recruiting Gordon Hayward to join him on the Celtics or Blake Griffin was about to embark on a journey as the Clippers singular franchise player?

It wasn’t that long ago Mirotić was publicly “okay” with Portis still being on the Bulls upon his return. Before being traded to the Pelicans, that is. Let’s face it, “For sure” is what any player is expected to say. It’s usually the kiss of death right before an offseason trade demand. However, there’s a big possibility the rumored friction over Leonard’s quadriceps injury is simmering down.

Perhaps, the injury is starting to heal properly after too early of a return. That early return is, after all, what put a strain on the Spurs/Leonard relationship in the first place. Leonard has not confirmed an official on-court return date as of yet but said he hopes to be back soon.

Kawhi Leonard said the following about rumored internal Spurs friction and requesting second opinions on his injury, according to MySanAntonio.com:

"Everything was done as a group, I don’t feel like nothing was friction. I talk to Pop every day. He knows what the progression were. He knew what I was doing the whole entire time, as well as the front office. We made a group decision, so it was me just going out and saying, ‘I am going to go out and do this thing.’"

It all really comes down to how Leonard feels on the court upon his return and how the team fares in the playoffs in the larger picture. A Finals run or even a Western Conference Finals entry can quickly mitigate bitter feelings and temper internal team arguments.

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Meanwhile, a first-round exit or even worse, re-aggravating the injury because of another overly early return could send this relationship spiraling quickly. We’re close to the end of NBA’s regular season, so we’ll find out what the crystal ball of the Spurs/Leonard’s future holds in practically no time.