It had been months since Kawhi Leonard had played his last game of the 2017-18 season — although no one knew it at the time — and ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne caught up with him in the corridor and asked why, amid growing rumors and the uncertainty, he hadn’t been suiting up. Leonard’s response, which was recounted in Shelburne and Michael Wright’s deep dive into the situation, captured the spirit of the player-organization rift that has spilled over into late June:
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Leonard nodded, then said, “I mean, why else would I not be playing?