Kawhi Leonard’s season could be over. Could he also be done with the Spurs?

Kawhi Leonard’s strange 2017-18 season took yet another odd turn Wednesday, when San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich told reporters he’d be “surprised” if Leonard returns this season due to tendinopathy in his right quad.

“We only have X-number of games left in the season and he’s still not ready to go,” Popovich told reporters in the team’s first post all-star break availability. “If by some chance he is, it’s going to be pretty late in the season and it’s going to be a tough decision. How late do you bring somebody back? That’s why I’m just trying to be honest and logical. I’ll be surprised if he’s back this year.”

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN added to the mystery, tacking on that Leonard has “been long cleared to return — the final decision still remains with him.”

Popovich’s statement creates a possibility that no one has truly considered — that Leonard’s season, after just nine games, is already over. But it also leaves open another one: Leonard may have played his final game as a member of the Spurs.

On its face, this undoubtedly seems absurd. Leonard is one of the best players in the league, and he is signed through next season. But the reason this idea has merit is what was the driving force behind the trades of two other elite players, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmy Butler, within the last year: The supermax contract.

source: washingtonpost