After Kawhi Leonard scored a career high 35 points in the San Antonio Spurs' 129-100 win over the Golden State Warriors, Gregg Popovich was asked by Nate Duncan what he saw about Leonard that was different from previous seasons.

Leonard has become a much better player on offense over the past few seasons.

“He basically tells me what he wants to do now,” Popovich said of Leonard. “He’ll take the ball. He’ll send the screener away. He’ll decide if he wants to go one-on-one with no screen, no pick. He is much more demonstrative, looks for his shots more. He knows he has a green light. I think that’s the difference. He’s making 3s or he’s driving it. Now he’s finding people on the court. While people are giving him attention, he’s finding people like Patty Mills for wide-open shots. He’s a tough cover. He’s really just more confident, more aggressive, more hungry to score than in the past.”

Danny Green will be out for approximately three weeks with a left quad strain.

Green is coming off a season in which his three-point shooting dropped from 41.8 percent to 33.2 percent.

Green re-signed with the Spurs on a four-year, $45 million contract in the 2015 offseason.

LaMarcus Aldridge responded to reports he is unhappy with the San Antonio Spurs during a spot on the Jim Rome Show.

Jackie MacMullan reported this week that the Spurs could consider trading Aldridge this season as the partnership has had issues.

"I didn't buy into it," said Aldridge. I haven't heard anything about it. I talk to (Gregg Popovich) daily and he's always telling me that I'm doing great," Aldridge said. "Trying to be a more of a leader. He's put me in positions where I can be more of a leader. As long as the guys here aren't saying bad things to me. All my teammates have said nothing but great things to me."

Aldridge was asked if he's happy in San Antonio one year after choosing to sign there in free agency.

"Yeah for sure I am," said Aldridge. We made history last year. They've incorporated me into the family. Try to make me one of the big pieces.

"I'm winning. Of course I'm happy. That's why I don't buy into the rumors. I feel like I do my job here and I feel like I've done everything that they've asked. That's why I haven't bought into the rumors."

The San Antonio Spurs denied a report that they could trade LaMarcus Aldridge this season.

Aldridge signed with the Spurs in free agency in 2015 and had an excellent season but there are questions about his fit and his willingness to defer to Kawhi Leonard.

“This is more Kawhi’s team, and we all fit around him and try to make his life easier,” Aldridge said late last season. “If I was trying to be that guy still, I probably should not have come. I’m OK trying to help Kawhi be great every night.”

Sources expect the Spurs to play this season with their current core intact but could reconsider if they don't consider themselves to be title contenders.

If the Spurs do make Aldridge available, the Phoenix Suns are expected to be a strong suitor.

LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015 and had a successful first season but there could be some issues that lead to him eventually being traded.

The Boston Celtics are in a position to trade for a player of Aldridge's caliber, should he become available, due to the value of the players on their roster and future picks.

"Sources were telling me the other day that LaMarcus Aldridge may not even finish the year with the Spurs. That experiment hasn't quite worked out the way they'd hoped. I think there's going to be a lot of shifting around. That (Nets) pick is going to be very, very valuable."

Macmullen was asked if she thinks the Celtics should trade for him if possible.

"No, not after what I heard the other day," said Macmullen laughing. "No, of course, you would take him on if you could because he's an automatic double-double but there's some stuff going on maybe."

The San Antonio Spurs have hired Chris Grant as a team scout.

Grant has not held a position in the NBA since he was fired as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers in February of 2014.

Grant is responsible for the drafting of point guard Kyrie Irving and center Tristan Thompson with the Nos. 1 and 4 overall picks in the 2011 NBA draft.

Grant worked under Danny Ferry with the Cavs, who has strong ties to the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs want Tony Parker to evolve into more of a facilitator this season.

Parker's game has been built on being a scoring point guard but he'll know work to setup LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.

"It's been great," Parker said of his changing role. "I love my role, and I'll try to do the best I can this year to keep winning games. You know, we won 67 games last year. We’ll try to do the same thing and go further in the playoffs. As long as [Gregg Popovich] is happy, that’s my main job here. I don’t care if people don’t understand my role or all this stuff I have to do now.”

“He’s done that more and more,” Popovich said. “He’s done a great job, just like David [Robinson] did for Tim [Duncan] and Tim did for Manu [Ginobili] and Tony. Now they’re realizing the ball needs to go in different places, and Tony is finding out he’s pretty darned skilled at it. He’s been really great in practice at finding open people.”

Danny Green underwent LASIK eye surgery shortly after the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs.

"My eyesight wasn't that bad to begin with," Green said.

Green shot just 30.1 percent from three-point range during the 2015 calendar year.

"I'm not gonna say it was [vision issues]," Green said. "I got the procedure done, [and] it helps. But that wasn't the reason why I was shooting poorly. Some seasons, you have good ones. Sometimes, you have bad ones. Sometimes, it's due to adjusting to chemistry. Sometimes it's due to injury. Sometimes, you just don't shoot it well. Sometimes, it's mental.

"For me, it's just really building that confidence back up mentally, physically staying healthy, fitting into this system and jelling with these guys as fast as possible so that I'm adjusted well, and can pick and choose my spots so I don't shoot as poorly as I did last year."