Will Kawhi Leonard end the San Antonio Spurs dynasty?

Could Kawhi Leonard be imploding the San Antonio Spurs right before our eyes?

Kawhi Leonard always seemed like the perfect fit for the San Antonio Spurs. He was the ideal superstar replacement in the lineage of David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Leonard was quiet and talented. He was a workaholic who only demanded as much from his teammates as he was willing to demand of himself.

This year feels different.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported recently that the Spurs have cleared Leonard medically from his quad injury to play, but head coach Gregg Popovich has said it’s unlikely the small forward will suit up again this season. Leonard only played nine games this year. The team has performed admirably in his absence, but they aren’t contenders without their best player.

Could this be the end of the Spurs as we’ve known them?

Every team inevitably goes through peaks and valleys as far as talent goes, but the Spurs (a small market franchise) have done a brilliant job of always building for the future while remaining a contender.

Those days may be coming to a close. Is Leonard protecting himself this season so that next year he can make his argument for big bucks in free agency? He has a player option for 2019-2020 season, and it would make sense for him to sign a long contract at that point in case of any further injuries.

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There have been rumblings that Leonard’s family is causing tension. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but it would be a shame if the Spurs were out of contention for a spell just because of familial drama with one of their players. They will be in the mix this postseason whether Leonard returns or not, but the main question is whether or not he’ll be committed to the franchise once he gets back on the court.