NBA news: Kawhi Leonard trade decision, LeBron James issue, Kevin Durant rant
NBA news is coming in thick and fast and Express Sport is on hand to bring you all the very latest.
Kawhi Leonard
Toronto Raptors will have to reach the NBA Finals to persuade Kawhi Leonard to turn down a move to Los Angeles Lakers or LA Clippers, according to reports.
Leonard controversially forced his way out of San Antonio Spurs in the offseason and linked up with the Raptors for the final 12 months of his contract.
DeMar DeRozan was sent in the opposite direction in a risky move which had no long-term certainty for the Canadian franchise.
Raptors chiefs will franticly try to build a Championship-winning team around Leonard this summer.
But they will have to act quickly as the Lakers and Clippers have the desire and necessary cap space to sign the defensive star.
“The Raptors will need to make a deep playoff run to have any shot of convincing Kawhi to stay,” report Forbes.
“Anything short of a Finals appearance may not be enough to do the trick. “However, they are set up to be contenders.
“They have one of the deepest rosters in the league with quality two-way players at every position, and despite all the missed games from their main guys this season, they’re currently sitting just two games behind the 45-14 Bucks for the best record in the league.”
LeBron James
LeBron James is causing major issues in the Los Angeles Lakers dressing room with his recent post-game comments.
That's according to former NBA star Tracy McGrady, who believes James needs to take some "accountability" for the Lakers' poor form.
"I think the players are getting tired of LeBron in the post-game interviews and saying you need to do this, you need to do that," McGrady said on ESPN's The Jump.
"He has to take some accountability and talk to these guys and figure out what's the solution.”
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has called on his team to start games better after Golden State Warriors fell to a surprise defeat against Miami Heat last night.
Durant’s side were 32-22 down after the first quarter but could only claw the deficit back to within one point.
"I just think I need to be aggressive and everybody feeds off of that,” Durant said. "I've got to be better to start the games.
"I think we're easing our way into it, seeing how teams are going to play us, but I think we've got to put our foot on the gas early."