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Spurs turn on pettiness in aftermath of Kawhi Leonard trade saga

Evan Sporer

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Spurs turn on pettiness in aftermath of Kawhi Leonard trade saga image

Kawhi Leonard is officially a member of the Raptors, and the Spurs have finally washed their hands of what's been a sticky situation for the organization over the past year.

Leonard, who saw a messy divorce with San Antonio culminate with his trade to Toronto on Wednesday, played in nine games of the 2017-18 season due to injury, the handling of which put him at odds with the club, and eventually led to the trade.

In his seven years with the Spurs — the only team Leonard has played for during his NBA career — he was awarded many accolades, from 2014 Finals MVP, to Defensive Player of the Year (twice) and two times an NBA All-Star.

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However, none of those distinctions were mentioned in the San Antonio press release formally announcing the trade. 

Leonard did not leave San Antonio on the best terms — not even close — from coach Gregg Popovich saying, "You'll have to ask his group," when reporters inquired late in the regular season about Kawhi's status, to more bizarre reports that members of Kawhi's inner circle hid him from Spurs brass.

Perhaps that was the pretext to decisions like which font to use in Twitter graphics when thanking both Leonard and Danny Green, who was also traded in the package to the Raptors.

STONE: Raptors' big trade is worth risk — even if Kawhi doesn't stay

It was the latest example of possibly veiled social media jabs thrown by the Spurs, who just last week wished Leonard a happy birthday without using the emphatic punctuation it typically does.

The drama may not be over yet. Leonard could make life difficult for the Raptors, too, if he really does have eyes on bolting for the Lakers next summer. 

Evan Sporer