"A lot of people feel like he's just sitting out because of whatever" - Danny Green admits he wasn't happy with how the Spurs treated Kawhi Leonard in his final season with the team

“A lot of people feel like he’s just sitting out because of whatever” – Danny Green admits he wasn’t happy with how the Spurs treated Kawhi Leonard in his final season with the team originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Kawhi Leonard’s exit from the San Antonio Spurs didn’t close out as anyone had anticipated or hoped.

What began as an elite pairing between a rising MVP candidate and a franchise known for its patience and pedigree ultimately unraveled into a murky divorce, one that cast shadows over the Spurs famed culture, and raised questions about how they handled one of the league’s quietest superstars.

Now, years removed from the saga, that story is still remembered by the fans of the silver and black.

Danny Green revisited that turbulent final season in San Antonio after he and Leonard helped deliver the Toronto Raptors their first NBA championship in franchise history, and he didn’t shy away from admitting his discomfort with how things were handled.

Internal pressure, external silence

In the 2017–18 season, the Spurs were still trying to find their identity post-Tim Duncan, leaning heavily on Leonard’s two-way brilliance. But that season was anything but smooth.

After suffering what was officially described as a right quadriceps injury, Leonard appeared in just nine games. The franchise listed him as “rehabilitating,” but what followed was an extended absence that quickly became the focal point of media scrutiny, fan frustration and locker-room tension.

“For good reason, he took a year off,” Green said in 2019. “But everybody else was like, ‘What’s going on, when you coming back, we’re trying to make a run.’ And a lot of people feel like he’s just sitting out because of whatever so, and so or he doesn’t want to play and a lot of people took it the wrong way.”

The uncertainty created a divide inside the locker room and outside of it. Teammates wanted answers, fans felt betrayed and the Spurs organization remained largely tight-lipped. The most telling moment came in March 2018, when Spurs veterans reportedly convened a players-only meeting to pressure Leonard into returning. The message was that the team needed him. The outcome was that he still sat out.

Behind the scenes, trust between Leonard’s camp and the franchise medical staff had begun to erode. The forward’s personal doctors reportedly advised against a premature return, citing concerns that his injury hadn’t healed properly.

Leonard, soft-spoken and fiercely guarded, chose silence over spectacle. He leaned on his inner circle, not team brass. The Spurs, renowned for their system and stability, had never dealt with a star so unwilling to fall in line.

By June 2018, the impasse had become untenable.

Reports emerged that Leonard had formally requested a trade. For a team that had molded stars like David Robinson, Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker into loyal cornerstones, the prospect of losing a generational talent in his prime was unprecedented.

Kawhi’s trade

On July 18, 2018, the Spurs officially pulled the trigger. Leonard and Green were traded to the Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick. The move stunned the league.

For Toronto, it was a gamble. For San Antonio, it was a concession. For Green, it was bittersweet.

“He did it for the right reasons, and he trusted himself,” Green said, speaking about Leonard’s decision to stay out and seek a new chapter elsewhere.

Green, who had been with the Spurs since 2010, saw firsthand the internal strain. He was a key part of the 2014 championship team, had played through the grind of a demanding system and understood what made the Spurs a perennial contender. However, in his view, Leonard’s decision to prioritize his health and future was not only justified, it was necessary.

In Toronto, both players flourished. Leonard went on to deliver one of the most iconic postseason performances in recent memory, leading the Raptors to the championship and capturing his second Finals MVP. Green, too, played a pivotal role, providing steady defense and perimeter shooting throughout the playoff run.

The fallout from Leonard’s exit reverberated for years. The Spurs, after two decades of dominance, entered a rebuild, missing the playoffs in subsequent seasons.

Looking back, the friction wasn’t simply about one injury or one season. It was about communication and conflicting philosophies.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.

“A lot of people feel like he’s just sitting out because of whatever” – Danny Green admits he wasn’t happy with how the Spurs treated Kawhi Leonard in his final season with the team

Tags: