Report: Gregg Popovich 'Regretted' Kawhi Leonard Comments After Raptors Trade

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reportedly had misgivings about comments he recently made about current Toronto Raptors and former Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard.

According to ESPN.com's Tim Bontemps, Popovich "regretted both his comments and the way they were perceived," regarding Leonard's leadership.

When asked about Leonard's standing as a leader during his time with the Spurs, Popovich recently said the following: "Kawhi was a great player, but he wasn't a leader or anything. Manu [Ginobili] and Patty [Mills] were the leaders. Kawhi's talent will always be missed, but that leadership wasn't his deal at that time."

Amid a fractured relationship between Leonard and the organization, he was dealt to the Raptors during the offseason along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round draft pick.

Last season, Leonard appeared in only nine games for the Spurs due to a quad injury, and questions regarding his status persisted throughout the year.

With neither side liking how the other handled the situation, Leonard was sent packing despite his immense importance to the Spurs' success.

Leonard was a two-time All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year during his seven-year stint in San Antonio.

He helped lead the Spurs to a pair of NBA Finals appearances, and when they beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat to win a championship in 2014, Kawhi was named NBA Finals MVP.

Leonard was surrounded by accomplished veterans such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili at various points throughout his San Antonio tenure, but there is no question that he was a driving force behind the Spurs' success while he was there.

Whether or not he is truly a good leader, success has followed Leonard to Toronto.

The Raptors are 28-11 this season and just a half-game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Leonard is also enjoying a career season with 27.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game, making him a leading MVP candidate.

Meanwhile, the Spurs barely made the playoffs last season without Leonard for most of the campaign, and they are currently tied for seventh in the Western Conference this season at 21-17.

San Antonio only has a 1.5-game lead on a playoff spot, and it is in danger of seeing its 21-year playoff streak come to an end.

Leonard will make his long-awaited return to San Antonio on Thursday when the Spurs host the Raptors in a game that figures to feature plenty of raw emotion from the fans in attendance given the way Leonard's time with the Spurs ended.