Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors, delivered the first championship in franchise history, and then left. It's one of the more bizarre year-long tenures in NBA history. Seven years later, Leonard has let the Detroit Pistons, which are reportedly interested in trading for him, that they'd experience the same fate.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Leonard wouldn't re-sign with the Pistons if they were to trade for him this summer.
"And sources say that Leonard would not have interest in signing an extension with Detroit in the event that the Pistons traded for him this summer."
That's all the confirmation Detroit needed that they should explore other options.
Kawhi Leonard wouldn't re-sign with the Pistons
The dream of winning a championship might be appealing, but the 2026 Pistons and 2018 Raptors aren't exactly mirror images of one another. At the time of Toronto's trade for Leonard, they'd made five consecutive postseason appearances and a trip to the Conference Finals.
They'd also lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in each of their previous three postseason appearances—thus suggesting he was the only true roadblock in their path.
Detroit, meanwhile, has made the playoffs two years in a row, but hasn't yet gone past the second round. They're knocking on the door of greatness, but that doesn't mean they're one player away from winning a championship—especially after they traded defensive stalwart Isaiah Stewart.
Compounded by the fact that the 2018 version of Leonard and the 2026 version simply aren't carbon copies, the Pistons can thank his brutal honesty for helping them dodge a bullet.
A one-year rental of Kawhi Leonard wouldn't be worth it for the Pistons
Leonard will turn 35 at the end of the month. Though he's played at least 65 games in two of the past three seasons, he appeared in just 37 in 2024-25, 52 in 2022-23, and missed the entire season in 2021-22. To put it simply: Injuries are a factor in this discussion.
Even if Leonard were to play all 82 regular season games for the Pistons in 2026-27, however, giving up considerable assets to acquire him would be a difficult decision to justify.
Cade Cunningham and Leonard would undoubtedly form a tremendous duo, and a resurgent Jalen Duren would give the Pistons an elite Big Three. Detroit would still need depth, however, and they'd likely have to strip themselves of the little support they can offer their stars to land Leonard.
Knowing he could walk just one offseason later, the Pistons can't afford to tie Cunningham's future to the hope that Leonard can turn back the clocks or that he'll change his mind.
Detroit should take Leonard at his reported word and let him save them from themselves.
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