3 reasons the San Antonio Spurs are better off without Kawhi Leonard

2. Too much drama

The Spurs have always been known as a functional and competent organization. They have a no-nonsense approach to all things. Head coach Gregg Popovich has been a big part of this culture and it has trickled down to his players. You never read about locker room disagreements, you never see cryptic tweets from dissatisfied players. In short: there is never unnecessary drama in San Antonio.

Well, almost never.

What is so surprising about the Kawhi Leonard saga is how long it has lasted and how much drama it has caused within the Spurs organization. One such example of drama is the role that Tony Parker‘s comments about Leonard’s injury played in Leonard’s negative feelings toward Spurs.

When Parker suggested that his own quad injury had been much worse than Leonard’s, he was voicing frustration at Leonard’s long and confusing rehab process. There were multiple reports that these feelings were shared by others in the locker room as well. At one point the players even held a sort of intervention for Leonard.

Needless to say, the rift between Leonard and the Spurs is too great to mend at this point. Tony Parker’s recent defection to Charlotte may or may not have to do with tensions surrounding Leonard, but one thing here is clear: Drama is not something the Spurs are used to, and they will not tolerate it for long.

The Spurs organization is too competent to not right the ship and get back to business as usual. But they will have to go on without Leonard, because there are too many moving parts and too many hurt feelings for this to work. Leonard is a great player, but he handled this situation with the Spurs badly. He sat, possibly healthy, on the sidelines while his team sputtered out in the playoffs, despite his teammates imploring him to play.

The situation is obviously complicated, and there may be pressure from his agent and his family that we don’t know about, as this article from ClutchPoints explores. This is all obviously a lot of speculation, but one thing is clear: Leonard has created drama in San Antonio, whether on purpose or by accident. That simply cannot continue.