Other than the upcoming free agency period, the saga between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs is undoubtedly the most important storyline of the NBA offseason.At this point, only one thing is clear: the relationship between the player and the organization is strained.What will happen, however, is anything but clear. While recent reports have indicated that Leonard wants to be traded, there’s still one year left on his contract and the Spurs do not need to listen to him.“We will explore all of our options, but the first one would be to keep Kawhi as part of our group,” Spurs general manager RC Buford recently told reporters.Since it seems unrealistic that he’d ever re-sign with the Spurs or sign a long-term extension this summer, the team could certainly trade him, though. In doing so, they’d rid themselves of a disgruntled player and would undoubtedly receive a large return due to his superstar status. Multiple reports have stated that Leonard’s desired team is the Los Angeles Lakers. But, it doesn’t seem like that will happen. In fact, the Spurs immediately eliminated 14 other teams (including LA) in the Leonard sweepstakes according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports.

Western Conference denial

“When Leonard’s desire to be traded from San Antonio to the Lakers was leaked via several media outlets last week, it was natural to wonder if he would become the star who compels James to come to LA. But in the days that followed, the Spurs wasted no time in sending this message all around the NBA: The only Western Conference team he might be playing for is theirs,” Amick wrote.

Therefore, that’s great news for a team like the Boston Celtics, a presumed possibility before this information was reported.

Since the Celtics are likely one of the only teams in the league that have a plethora of assets in the form of young players with sky-high potential and future draft picks, they might now be considered the favorites to land Leonard if they can work around some financial roadblocks on their end (in terms of cap space).

The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that has a number of similar assets and it's worth noting that they currently have the cap space to accommodate Leonard.

According to Amick, the Cleveland Cavaliers inquired about Leonard, but didn’t get anywhere.

Any deal with the Spurs for Leonard might be predicated on the two-way star’s commitment to immediately sign a multi-year maximum extension. Therefore, if San Antonio finds a landing spot and he doesn’t approve, the entire deal could fall through.

As of now, the Spurs are in control of the situation. As one of the most respected and successful teams in the entire world of sports, it’s clear that they will take their time to make the best possible move for their future, both in the short-term and long-term.