NBA Rumors: Kevin Love, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant Involved In Latest Drama

It’s certainly been an interesting week in the NBA with some of the league’s biggest stars involved in controversy. In addition to rumors that Kawhi Leonard wants to be traded, Kevin Durant engaged in a feud with a player from the Golden State Warriors’ chief competition.

Neither of those stories managed to be the NBA’s No.1 headline because of the latest drama that surrounds the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team appears to have made Kevin Love the scapegoat—at least briefly—for their latest struggles, and there are rumors that the Cavs could be shaking things up around LeBron James.

Let’s take a look at the latest NBA controversies.

Kevin Love vs. Cleveland

Ever since he was traded to the Cavs in 2014, Love’s place in Cleveland has never seemed secure. He’s constantly at the center of trade rumors, and the Cavs tried to move him as recently as this summer. After Cleveland was blown out at home Saturday by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Love’s teammates confronted him in a meeting, challenging the “legitimacy” of an illness that forced him to leave the contest early and miss practice Sunday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

“We aired any grievances we had and we’re going to move forward,” Love said, via The Associated Press, admitting that he wished the meeting hadn't become public. “Hopefully we’ll be better for it, we have been in the past.”

“Did I feel like a target? I think everybody, most people, were a target. We’re trying to figure this thing out. People hold themselves to a very high standard on this team and we’re a team that can compete at the highest level. So, for us, it’s not about me.”

The New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reported that Isaiah Thomas “led the charge” against Love. Thomas has struggled since returning from a hip injury, shooting less than 40 percent from the field, while Love might be having his best season in Cleveland.

A loss to the Spurs Tuesday put the Cavs at 3-10 over their last 13 games. Cleveland’s record has them closer to being out of the playoffs than having the East’s No.1 seed, and there are reports that the organization is targeting a trade with the Sacramento Kings for point guard George Hill.

Kawhi Leonard vs. San Antonio

The Spurs have seemed like the one great team that’s been immune to controversy and in-fighting over the last few years. That might not be the case, considering the news that’s been coming out of San Antonio.

First, it was Gregg Popovich admitting that LaMarcus Aldridge asked to be traded in the offseason. Now, there are rumors that Leonard is unhappy with the Spurs.

After two straight seasons with top-three MVP finishes, Leonard was among the favorites to win the award in 2018. That certainly won’t happen now that the small forward has missed most of the season with injuries, and he remains out indefinitely with a partial tear in his left shoulder.

ESPN reported earlier this week that Leonard’s relationship with the team has become strained because of his injuries and the way they’ve been handled by the organization. Even though the Spurs have denied the report, rumors regarding Leonard’s unhappiness in San Antonio have persisted. ESPN’s Jalen Rose said on “First Take” that Leonard wants to play elsewhere.

Leonard probably won’t be traded, but the Spurs could be headed for their quickest playoff exit in a few years. San Antonio is the West’s No.4 seed after having the conference’s second-best record in each of the last two seasons, and they won’t go very far if Leonard isn’t 100 percent healthy in the postseason.

Kevin Durant vs. Clint Capela

Unlike the Cavaliers and Spurs, the Warriors don’t seem to have any drama within the team. A member of the defending champs has instead taken aim at the Houston Rockets, who have been the second-best team in basketball this year.

Durant took exception to Rockets’ center Clint Capela calling Houston “better” than Golden State. Capela’s comments came after the Rockets defeated the Warriors Saturday night.

“You hear it from guys like Capela,” Durant told reporters Monday. “Usually he's catching the ball and laying it up from CP [Chris Paul] or James Harden. His job is not as hard. When your job is that hard, you know you can't just come out there and say shit like that. I don't expect that from CP and James and [Trevor] Ariza and the rest of the guys like that because they know how hard it is to come out and do that every night. Capela, catch and dunk every night. It's pretty easy for him.”

There’s no doubt that Capela doesn’t have the same impact on the Rockets that Durant has on the Warriors. While Durant and Stephen Curry are Golden State’s top stars, James Harden and Chris Paul are who truly make Houston a contender.

That’s not to discount what Capela has meant to the Rockets in the 2017-2018 season. He leads the NBA in field-goal percentage, averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Between Cleveland’s struggles and San Antonio’s injuries, Houston might be the only team that has a prayer of upsetting Golden State in the playoffs. The Rockets are 2-1 against the Warriors this season, and they are just two games out of the loss column for the West’s No.1 seed.