Bobby Marks just provided fresh Kawhi Leonard-to-Spurs nightmare fuel to fans

Spurs fans probably thought the Kawhi Leonard saga was long in the rearview mirror. It's been eight years since the Klaw departed the Alamo City amid the worst divorce in franchise history. But during ESPN's day two draft coverage, Bobby Marks decided he wanted to spin the block on a possible reconciliation between the two parties.

"There [are] a lot of playoff teams keeping an eye on what happens with the Kawhi Leonard situation." Marks told his colleagues. When pressed by Malika Andrews to reveal who he was referring to, he responded, "Maybe his former teams; I'll leave it at that." Whether he intended to or not, Bobby just reopened one of the most divisive conversations in the history of Spurs Nation.

Now, this is pure speculation until we start to see some actual reporting from connected insiders. But this is the last thing Spurs fans want to hear as they celebrate the start of a new era of sustained excellence with Victor Wembanyama leading the way.

Spurs fans want nothing to do with Kawhi Leonard in 2026 or ever again

Kawhi Leonard has only played for three teams since being drafted into the NBA, and he's still playing for one of them. That only leaves two remaining. So when Marks made his "former team" comment plural, that included San Antonio.

Again, I want to clarify that this was an educated guess on the part of the former Brooklyn Nets general manager, not a report, but that doesn't make the comment any less egregious. Leonard is still booed when he visits the Alamo City. These fans have memories longer than an elephant's, and forgiving Kawhi for his disrespectful exit is not in the cards.

Of course, Toronto is Klaw's other former team. They'd probably be ecstatic to get him back, but they didn't have their future ripped out from under them because of selfishness and ego. He's remembered for delivering their organization's first-ever championship. In San Antonio, he's remembered for how it ended.

His place in SA's franchise history will forever be tarnished. He has nobody to blame but himself (and his uncle) for that.

The basketball reasons aren't enough to forgive Kawhi

Let's take a step back and talk a little nuance here. Leonard played 65 or more games in two of his last three seasons, including this one. When healthy, he's still one of the best two-way players in the game. If this were any other player, the thought of adding a player who just averaged 28 points a game, a couple of percentage points from 50/40/90, would be incredibly enticing.

We don't live in a vacuum, though. There's too much history here. The exit wasn't just ugly; it was horrific. Not to mention his degenerative knee is still degenerating. That doesn't go away. His career has been marred by injury, and the Spurs just turned in a pretty healthy season that ended with a trip to the NBA Finals.

They've fully committed to the youth movement, and it's doing them well. Victor Wembanyama has the reins now. There's no need to dredge up old feelings, trying to force fans to bury the hatchet when that axe is as firmly planted as Excalibur. The Spurs have turned the page on that saga. They'd be wise not to reopen the chapter that almost tore the franchise apart.

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