Kawhi Leonard Rumors: Star's Camp Feels Spurs Are 'Alienating' SF over Injury

People in Kawhi Leonard's camp believe the San Antonio Spurs have purposely kept the two-time All-Star distanced from the organization. 

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright, one person in Leonard's circle believes the Spurs are "alienating him" because they want to make him "look bad."

"You have this seamless transition from the [Tim] Duncan era to the new era, this homegrown superstar," the person said. "Like, why would you alienate him?"

Another source close to Leonard told Shelburne and Wright the Spurs are "not very open-minded" because "they don't like others messing with their players."

Leonard appeared in just nine games this season, sitting with a quad injury. He left the team in April to continue his rehab in New York, with no set timetable to return to San Antonio. 

After the Spurs shut down Leonard in January, head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters the two-time Defensive Player of the Year "didn't reinjure it or anything, but he was having pain" and things weren't "going in the right direction."

The Spurs' season ended when the Golden State Warriors defeated them in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

Leonard is under contract with the team next season on a salary of $20.1 million, per Spotrac. He's also eligible for a supermax extension from San Antonio worth $217 million over five years this summer.