PHOENIX — On the eve of the NBA trade deadline, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili indicated they would like to see the Spurs stand pat in the hope that Kawhi Leonard will return in time for the Spurs to get on a roll entering the playoffs.

“I think it is always good to stay intact,” Parker said Wednesday after the morning shootaround for the late night game with the Suns, the opener of the six-game rodeo road trip.

“We went to the conference finals last year, so the biggest thing for us is not a trade but to get Kawhi back,” Parker added.

The trade deadline is set for 2 p.m. Thursday. The Spurs haven’t made a move at midseason since 2014.

Leonard has played in just nine games this season because of right quadriceps tendinopathy and his frustrating on-again, off-again, on-again rehabilitation from the condition.

The Spurs have not set a timetable for Leonard’s return. If he returns after the All-Star break, they would have just 23 games in which to try to develop some cohesiveness and rhythm with their leading scorer and ace defender heading into the playoffs.

The Spurs (34-21) entered Wednesday’s play ranked third in the West, half a game ahead of the surging Minnesota Timberwolves, but they have lost 10 of their last 19 games, including two straight.

Parker was asked if they would have enough time to pull things together if Leonard returns after the break.

“Yeah, hopefully,” he said. “I hope he gets back to his (All-Star) level and we try to make a run at it.”

Ginobili, though, said it is “very hard to tell” whether the Spurs and Leonard could round into shape in 23 games.

“Again, we have never been here (before),” Ginobili said. “We don’t know what could happen. I’ve always said that re-inserting Kawhi is not something like bringing (rookie guard) Derrick (White) back or a complementary piece.

“He is a big part of our team, and if he is going to play, he is going to need the ball and we are going to have to adjust. So it takes time. It is a big question mark. “

The Spurs reportedly had shown an interest in New York Knicks second-year center Willy Hernangomez and Detroit Pistons third-year small forward Stanley Johnson. But the Knicks traded Hernangomez to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, and Pistons insiders say it’s highly unlikely the surging team will deal Johnson.

Ginobili said he always prefers the Spurs pass on making a trade because of the pain involved with seeing a teammate depart.

“It’s always tough to see a teammate go unless he is willing to go,” Ginobili said. “There are some situations — it hasn’t happened very often with us — where somebody is very uncomfortable and wants to leave.

“But it is always painful when you see a teammate leaving. You create a bond, and you have been together for so long, and you are going to do your best with your guys. Sometimes it is going to be enough, sometimes it won’t. But it has a meaning to go through tough times and great times with the people you know and trust and you have grown used to playing with.”

torsborn@express-news.net

@tom_orsborn