Kawhi Leonard is still mad

Multiple reports suggest Kawhi Leonard and Gregg Popovich met in San Diego on Tuesday. This meeting had apparently been planned much in advance, before Kawhi’s camp told the world he wanted out of the Spurs last Friday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne report that Popovich and the Spurs have had trouble reaching Kawhi lately, and that’s because Kawhi is still mad about various comments Pop and Spurs players (hint, hint, Tony Parker) made this season as he struggled to get healthy.

This is not a surprise, but this is informative.

Kawhi always seemed highly coachable, rigidly stoic, and a fine canvas for Popovich’s trademark style of leadership. But something in Popovich’s frustration with the Leonard situation this season caught Kawhi way wrong. We’ll probably never be sure exactly what set him off — though remember late in the season Leonard did say he still wanted to be a Spur for his whole career — but something clearly did.

Popovich brokered peace with LaMarcus Aldridge last summer, but this is different. This is, in some way, personal between Leonard and the Spurs. That’s a dangerous place to be.

Suit up

Sterling Brown followed up on his promise to sue the Milwaukee Police Department over his January arrest over a parking violation that included getting tackled and shocked by a stun gun. The lawsuit includes details on one of the officers involved joking about the incident on Facebook twice and alleges officers coordinated their stories once realizing Brown was an NBA player.

I’m no legal expert, and if we’ve learned anything over the past five years it’s that what seems pretty cut and dry in terms of police violence is anything but. That said, Brown’s lawsuit has a point.

Links galore

Key piece from Bruno Passos on how Kawhi never intended to be who he has become to Spurs fans.

The annual SB Nation NBA Blogger Mock Draft is here! Always a fun exercise.

A couple of big Ricky O’Donnell pieces: on Zhaire Smith, who went from a three-star recruit to a potential lottery pick, and on the draft hinging on what the Kings do at No. 2.

No big deal, just Luka Doncic hitting a fadeaway floater three in his last game in Spanish league. Real Madrid won, and Luka now has three championships in the past year. And here’s a must-read from Howard Beck on Luka.

Mo Bamba is stiff-arming the Grizzlies, who pick No. 4, by not working out for them or giving up medical info.

The Suns have never had a franchise center, first missing the chance when losing the coin flip for the right to draft Lew Alcindor. That could change on Thursday.

The Raptors finding a way to land Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could alter the course of Canadian basketball forever.

Should the Bucks continue to swing for the fences in the NBA Draft?

Lonnie Walker IV seems like a very curious, interesting dude.

Jonathan Tjarks pegs two second-round prospects as potential studs.

Be excellent to each other.