Fansided

Kawhi Leonard out for NBA Playoffs, could Spurs tenure be over too?

By Patrick Schmidt

SAN ANTONIO,TX - FEBRUARY 28 : Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs sits on the bench in street clothes during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center on February 28, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO,TX - FEBRUARY 28 : Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs sits on the bench in street clothes during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center on February 28, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Kawhi Leonard’s season is officially over as the Spurs forward will not return for the postseason.

There will be no magical comeback for Kawhi Leonard this postseason. There will be no heroics from the All-NBA superstar who will not return from the right quad injury that’s kept him out for all but nine games this season and lead the team to an improbable postseason win over the Golden State Warriors.

According to Yahoo, Leonard will be out for the rest of the postseason, which could be a matter of a couple more games. This is no big surprise as it was assumed by even the most optimistic of Spurs fans that Leonard would be glued to the bench for the rest of the year.

This has been a miserable season for the Spurs by their standards. Sure, the Spurs made it back to the playoffs and really did overachieve considering Leonard only played in nine games. But it was the off-the-court soap opera that was the story of the 2017-2018 Spurs.

There were reports of infighting among the team questioning the severity of Leonard’s injury and whether it was something he could play through. Was there doubt among his teammates that he was not as injured as he led on? If so, that’s a big red flag and why some have speculated the relationship with Leonard and the Spurs could be beyond repair.

The trade rumors will be a hot topic into the offseason for Leonard. This time a year ago, it would have been unfathomable to consider Leonard would be suiting up in anything but a Spurs uniform, perhaps for the rest of his career.

Next: Worst NBA Finals Starters of All-Time

Things can change quickly in professional sports and a change of scenery may be best for Leonard to get away from those who question his commitment to the team. Spurs fans will surely miss him when he’s gone if this is the direction the front office makes.

Teams looking to form the next super team to compete with the Warriors, Rockets, Celtics and whatever team LeBron James plays on will definitely want to pay whatever the cost is to get Leonard.

But for Leonard, the lost season of 2017-2018 won’t do much to change his legacy in the NBA or how he’s viewed among his peers. When healthy, he’s one of the three-five best players in the game, and he will be again next year, but will it be with the Spurs?

We could have an answer by mid-summer.

Home/San Antonio Spurs