If San Antonio gets serious about trading Kawhi Leonard, the Celtics, according to multiple league sources, would like to be involved. But there has been nothing – yet – to indicate they have a realistic chance.

A Western Conference source with an interest in the proceeding told the Herald that the Spurs did have a brief discussion with the Celtics on Wednesday, but there was said to be no real negotiation. The last previous contact between the teams occurred before the draft and did not include an offer from Boston. That brief call, according to two league sources, went nowhere.

San Antonio has been checking the market to see what kind of return it could get for Leonard, but it’s hard to see things working out with the Celtics given the questions surrounding Leonard’s health and plans.

Boston would need assurances that Leonard’s quadriceps injury is healed and that he would be willing to stay with the team beyond the coming season. The first-team all-NBA forward in 2015-16 and 2016-17 can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent after this year. He played in just nine games this past season because of the quad problem, and questions about whether he could and should have played more strained his relationship with the Spurs.

Logic says that anything the Celtics would be willing to give up would reflect those issues, meaning the deal wouldn’t be good enough for the Spurs.

It’s not believed the Celtics are willing to move either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and whether they’d put the 2019 Sacramento first-round pick (protected only if it’s No. 1 overall) on the table likely depends on the sides’ getting serious enough to allow the Celtics permission to speak with Leonard, gauge his interest and check his medical information.

Everything indicates they are miles from any of that. And the best information circulating through league front offices is that Leonard is still intent on getting to the Lakers, either by trade now or as a free agent next summer.


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