NBA: Top 5 wrong destinations for Kawhi Leonard this summer

The San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard seem they are going to part ways soon as the links of Leonard's departure started to take the news weeks ago.

Also read: 5 Possible trade packages for Kawhi Leonard

The 26-year-old apparently wants out of San Antonio after conflicts with the franchise due to the legitimacy of his quad injury that kept him out for 73 games last season.

Any team in the league would like to have Leonard on the roster, but the small forward has Los Angeles in his preferred destinations, especially Los Lakers.

Leonard entered the NBA in 2011 drafted by the Indiana Pacers and then traded to the Spurs. Since then, he has proved he can lead a team as he did when Tim Duncan retired.

Two seasons ago Leonard was among the three candidates to win the MVP of the season and ended third in the race behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

Whatever team Kawhi decides to join they will become an automatic contender, but there are some teams that might be a damage for the career of the 2014 NBA Finals MVP.

In addition, there is the financial situation with Leonard and how much is he willing to lose if he leaves San Antonio. The Spurs are offering him a five-year, $219 million Supermax contract this summer if he stays and if Kawhi decides to go away from the five-time NBA champions he could lose 31$ millions.

Here is the list of the five teams that could shut down Kawhi Leonard's career.

1- Charlotte Hornets

Knowing the Spurs would not want to trade Kawhi to a Western Conference team, the East seems like an awful destination.

Indeed, it is clear San Antonio will only trade Leonard if they get the best part of it, and if the Hornets aims Kawhi, they probably have to let Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum leave.

That would leave Leonard with a bunch of role player in Charlotte, which could be the worst scenario for the two-time NBA All-Star.

In fact, the Hornets miss the playoff for the second season in a row and have reached the postseason three times in the last ten years.

Anyways, there is no way Leonard accepted a trade to Charlotte if he has the opportunity to go to a big market like Los Lakers or the Cleveland Cavaliers if we talk to the East.

2- Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi expressed his desire to play in LA, according to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, but the Clippers are not his first choice.

In this decade the Clippers have been a regular playoff team, although, they have never reached a Conference Finals.

The team came five games short to earn a spot in the last playoff even with the departure of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

But, what can do Clippers offer to San Antonio for Kawhi?

Well, the Californians have Tobias Harris and two lottery pick, which is considerably less of what the Lakers can offer the Spurs. However, Leonard just wants to be in his hometown regardless of the team.

But a move to the Clippers could change the legacy he has been built in the recent years.

Even if the Clippers become a contender with Kawhi, they are still in the West and we all know this Conference belongs to the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.

So a traded to the Clippers might mean a shut down in Leonard's chances to repeat as an NBA champion.

3- Memphis Grizzlies

Definitely not, not in Kawhi's mind there is a possibility he goes to the Grizzlies if he moves from San Antonio.

Maybe Memphis had a terrible year a was one of the worst teams of the recently ended season.

Even so, the Grizzlies had seven straight runs to the playoff before this horrific year.

They still are not a good option to be Kawhi Leonard's next team. First of all, Memphis is currently looking for some serenity after a season full of turmoil, which led the General Manager fired coach David Fizdale and the team's best player Marc Gasol complained all season long for the team's poor performance.

That's what Kawhi is running away, turbulence and problems, last season was the turning point with the Spurs as they doubted of Leonard's injury.

So the Grizzlies are an unlikely destination for him even though he will make them look great in the incoming season.

The Spurs will have something good for Leonard and they surely wouldn't want a trade for Mike Conley or Marc Gasol.

Counley is 30 years old and was out most of the season due to a left Achilles injury while Gasol is 33 and already any team would change their big man for him.

The only way possible way the Grizzlies pick up Leonard is that a third team get involved in a trade, and being honest, that seems impossible at this point.

4- Phoenix Suns

The team with the worst record last season in the NBA (21-61) would be grateful if the two-time Defense Player of the Year joins them.

However, Kawhi would not be pleased with all with the trade because of the depth roster of the team.

The Suns have missed the postseason for eight years in a row and it seems it is going to be the same situation for a little while.

Phoenix's best hope is the 21-year-old Kevin Booker and the recently elected number 1 draft pick DeAndre Ayton, so if the Suns aspire to add Leonard to their roster they have to be willing to get rid of them.

Moreover, the Suns do not have a head coach as Jay Triano is the interim head coach and at least nine players got injured last season so is unclear where this team will end up next year.

5- New York Knicks

This is probably the best choice among all the five teams on this list, but still is not a good fit for Kawhi.

The Knicks would be a better option for San Antonio, they have Kristaps Porzingis as a possible choice for a trade.

That would leave Leonard alone in the Big Apple and his chances to come back to an NBA Finals will be almost nothing even playing in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks would be a completely different team if they get Kyrie Irving if he decides to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 and leave the Boston Celtics.

Kyrie and Kawhi seem like a perfect spot to start a new dynasty but is difficult this happens. That is why New York is not a great option for Leonard to sing this summer.