Report: Kawhi Leonard Requests Trade, Celtics ‘Interested’

As it is wont to do, the NBA world decided to blow up midway through a relaxing Friday afternoon.

Disgruntled with his worsening situation in San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard officially requested a trade out of the Spurs organization, according to Yahoo's Shams Charania. Less than an hour after that, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Celtics would be 'interested in probing' the Spurs about a potential deal.

Leonard, of course, was reportedly on the Celtics' radar prior to the NBA trade deadline.

The Celtics are not the only team that would be interested in adding Leonard, though, as Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers and Clippers were interested in the 2014 NBA Finals MVP and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He also outlined the leg-up that the Celtics would have in any sort of trade talk given their bevy of young assets and picks.

It would certainly be a shock for the C's to successfully pull off this kind of deal. Especially given the price and the uncertainty around Leonard after playing in just nine games last year and his falling out with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The Spurs are also not necessarily dealing from a position of strength in this regard, either, as those aforementioned issues -- as well as Leonard's contract -- could make this a process that drags throughout the summer. The 26-year-old Leonard is under contract at over $20 million next season, and has a player option for the 2019-20 season.

A member of the All-NBA First Team in both 2016 and 2017, Leonard has averaged 16.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and shot 49.5 percent from the field, in his seven-year career spent entirely with the Spurs.