The San Antonio Spurs suffered a disappointing loss in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.This notably had the absent of star forward Kawhi Leonard being around the team although he is still out of the lineup.
There has been no clarity on the entire situation and his standing with the Spurs. According to Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News, head coach Gregg Popovich voiced uncertainty about whether Leonard will be with the team at any point in the playoffs.
Any chance Kawhi rejoins the team during the series, Pop? Pop: "You'll have to ask Kawhi and his group that question."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) April 15, 2018
Popovich's comments give a strong sense of disconnect on both sides while showing that the organization has continued to grow tired of the situation that has been rooted with Leonard's health. At the same time, there hasn't been any public dialogue from Leonard about his status.
It has been a fluid ordeal that doesn't appear to have any resolution at his point in time but rather more separation. The fact that Leonard isn't showing his support to the team despite being out due to injury shows that there are deep issues between both sides. The further this situation drags along the more likely the resolution could be to move on from the star forward.
The entire handling of his quad injury has pushed Leonard away from the team as he has shown a lack of trust in the Spurs' medical staff to treat and rehab it. It also doesn't appear that aspect will change anytime soon as Leonard has continued to rely on his doctors located in New York on multiple occasions and that should remain the case this upcoming offseason.
Ultimately, this is a situation that should have some finality to it this offseason with the Spurs having to make the decision if they want to offer Leonard the super-max contract over the summer. This alone will dictate his long-term future in San Antonio.
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