The season-long saga between the San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard could finally be reaching a defining stage.
Leonard played only nine games this year as he was troubled by an injured quad which caused tensions between him and the organisation.
After returning from the injury in January, the small forward complained of discomfort and decided to undergo more rehab in an effort to get back to 100 percent.
His relationship with the team soured after he was cleared to make a comeback by the Spurs medical staff late in the season but he chose to continue his recovery as he didn't feel he was healthy enough to step back on the court.
The 26-year-old sat out for the remainder of the campaign and also distanced himself from the franchise as he decided to work with a personal medical team in New York.
That ultimately led to speculation about his future in San Antonio as he only has one year remaining on his contract.
Kawhi has been the subject of trade rumours for several months but the Spurs are reportedly not interested in offloading their star.
Developments
Instead, it appears that they are close to taking a positive step in their hopes of tying him down to a long-term contract.
According to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News, Leonard is set to meet head coach Gregg Popovich in the coming days to discuss his future and the concerns he has with the team.
"With the NBA Draft approaching, the Spurs are attempting to settle in-house business first, starting with Leonard," Young said.
"League sources tell the Express-News head coach Gregg Popovich and Leonard are trying to schedule a meeting, possibly this week, to discuss any issues or concerns Leonard may have, and hopefully come to a decision on offering Leonard the five-year, $219 million supermax extension he is eligible to receive."
Young also revealed that the two-time Defensive Player of the Year is close to making a full recovery from his injured quad and "anticipates being ready for the start training camp in September."
This could be a significant week for the Texas-based outfit as they made it a priority to mend fences with the two-time All-Star.
Losing one of the best two-way players in the league was never an option that the team considered and they can soon begin the process of locking him into a huge new deal which will be music to the ears of the Spurs fans.
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