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Kawhi, oh Kawhi, won’t he be a Portland Trail Blazer? Let us count the ways …

By Matt George Moore

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 15: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 15, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 15: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 15, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The big news outta the NBA blogosphere today: Kawhi Leonard doesn’t want to be a San Antonio Spur anymore. Will he be a Blazer?

ESPN’s Chris Haynes reported Friday morning that “All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio.” League sources reportedly told ESPN that Leonard “has grown frustrated with how the organization handled his quad injury and feels the franchise turned on him once he sought a second opinion.”

So let’s grab him for the Trail Blazers, right Rip City?

Sure! That would be swell.

But it ain’t gonna happen.

Kawhi

Every NBA team would want Kawhi Leonard, the veteran 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward out of San Diego State University.

But does Leonard want every team? Hardly.

Leonard, who is from the Los Angeles area, is a defensive monster, winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award twice and making the league’s All-Defensive team four times.

He’s a scorer, too, with a silky touch leading to sparkling career averages: 16.3 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting, including 38.6 percent from three.

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Some other accolades: He’s a two-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA player. He’s led the league in steals (2.3 per game in 2014-2015). He’s won an NBA title and an NBA Finals MVP. And he was Rookie of the Year in 2011-2012. That kind of resume for a guy who’ll turn just 27 years old in a few weeks would have any team’s front office salivating over the prospect of Leonard in their franchise’s uniform.

And he’s a wanted man despite a quad injury that limited him to nine games last season.

Blazers

That includes the Blazers, naturally. Leonard would not only fit in perfectly with Portland head coach Terry Stotts’ system, he would fill several immediate needs. Most significantly, he would provide the team with a reliable and consistent third scorer at the forward position — exactly what Portland lacks and needs.

But he’s not going to be a Trail Blazer, for several reasons.

First of all, he hasn’t expressed any interest in Portland. Of course, should the Spurs decide to shop him — and why wouldn’t they? — they have no obligation to honor his wishes, especially since their relationship with him has soured so spectacularly. But we have to ask ourselves how likely it would be for the Spurs to trade him to a Western Conference foe.

For all intents and purposes, Kawhi-to-Portland isn’t even on anybody’s radar.

Besides, Portland is also in no position to make a deal for anybody right now. We’ve talked until we’re blue in the face about the Blazers’ restrictive contract situation. (About the only positive thing we can say about that situation is this: It could be worse.)

San Antonio signed Leonard to a five-year $94 million contract in 2015, including a player option for 2019-2020. He’ll make about $20.1 million in 2018-2019; his player-option year in 2019-2020 is about $21.3 million.

Possibility

About the only thing I’ve seen all day that bears any resemblance to reality — or the prospect of reality — is a story by Yahoo Sports’ Dan Devine, who posits a number of scenarios, both realistic and … well, not.

Devine describes a trade scenario in which Portland gets Leonard and Pau Gasol in exchange for CJ McCollum, Evan Turner and the Blazers’ first-round picks this year and in 2020.

I like this scenario. Turner’s contract is an albatross; it would be wonderful to get rid of it. And as much as I like McCollum, he’s always been someone whom I’d be willing to trade away in exchange for an upgrade. (And make no mistake, Leonard would be an upgrade.)

Next: Blazers working out potentially undrafted forwards

But before he’s even finished his thought, Devine starts to pooh-pooh his own idea:

"I don’t know that I believe this really has a chance of happening … (but the) Blazers get the kind of player who proves to Damian Lillard that they’re serious about being something more than a bridesmaid, and Kawhi gets a fresh start flanked by another All-Star scorer who can handle the leadership role."

I don’t think it has a chance of happening, either.

In fact, I’m more inclined to think that Portland won’t make any significant moves this offseason. I would love to be wrong about this.