Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros and cons of targeting Kawhi Leonard

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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 2, 2018 in New York City. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 100-91. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Con: Injury History

It’s easy to look at the 2017-18 NBA regular season and display skepticism on the Kawhi Leonard front. He’s appeared in just nine games in 2017-18 due to a mysterious quadricep injury that continues to prevent the 26-year-old from returning to action.

Whether or not you believe Leonard’s injury is as bad as advertised, what’s undeniable is that injury absences have been common throughout his career.

Leonard missed 24 games in 2012-13, 16 games in 2013-14, and 18 games in 2014-15. Gregg Popovich’s willingness to rest his players certainly influenced those numbers, but it’s fair to question if injuries are in fact a lingering issue.

For a New York Knicks organization that has been burned far too many times by injury-prone stars, it would be hard to blame Scott Perry for passing on this opportunity for that very reason.

Furthermore, no one seems to know how severe Leonard’s quadriceps injury truly is. Spurs teammate Tony Parker downplayed the severity of the ailment, but it’s within the realm of possibility that it’s worse than he thinks.

Unless the Knicks receive 100 percent confirmation that Leonard will be back at 100 percent in 2018-19, it may be wise to pass on this opportunity.

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