We've heard many reasons for Kawhi wanting out, all reported through the media.
I am almost 100% sure we'll never hear Kawhi talk about it openly himself.
Here's at least a partial list, off the top of my head; I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
- Spurs docs misdiagnosed his injury
- Feelings were hurt after he was confronted by his teammates who, with playoffs approaching, wanted to know if he would be returning or not
- Tony Parker saying his injury was worse than Kawhi's
- Pop's practices are too hard
- Wanted to go home and play in LA to be closer to family
- Wants to play for a team that has "fun"
- Felt as though he wasn't getting the star treatment the way some of his peers were at the all star game
- Endorsement opportunities as a Spur are too limited
So, it's possible that all of these things are true. Some of them don't make much sense to me given what I thought I knew about Kawhi's personality, and others felt like post hoc sort of justification for the trade demand, especially the way they kept cropping up one after another as things developed. Even taken as a whole none of it seems like something that would completely burn the bridge to the point that he would be hiding away and avoiding contact with the team and publicly demanding a trade (to a specific team) without at least attempting to resolve things.
Since it doesn't really add up when you take it all at face value, there are probably hidden reasons. The most popular working theory is that Kawhi's uncle and agent have been steering the ship and working to fracture the relationship between Kawhi and the Spurs ever since they took over his management from his previous agent in 2016. They're trying to create an agency from scratch and see Kawhi as their meal ticket, and need that major market endorsement money if they want to cash in. I've also heard from someone in the know that there may have been an incident back near the beginning of this saga where someone in Spurs management (not Pop) said something to or about Kawhi that offended him, and that his group used this incident to drive a wedge between him and the organization. Pop and RC Buford absolutely did not want to trade him, they were said to feel like they were trading away a son, and RC was reportedly so tormented by the direction things were going in last season that he wasn't able to sleep. I think they really care about him and only wanted the best for him, but whatever problems existed between them and his uncle made it impossible to heal the relationship.
I still can't help but have some affection for Kawhi as a person; my personal feeling is that he has kind of been manipulated by his uncle and his agent. I can buy that he cares more about his family than his financial success and would trust his uncle to guide him, and that he would take a family member's side in any dispute with the team. But it's not fair to assume he isn't capable of making his own decisions. He's a grown man so he's got to own all of this. I will continue to laugh if his team's master plan continues to backfire, but I honestly hope he will excel on the court in Toronto and wherever he goes after that. He's an amazing player, way better than what the Spurs got in return; hopefully his head is on straight and he doesn't end up a cautionary tale.