DENVER — The Spurs are not waiting for Kawhi Leonard anymore. But the rest of us are.

Leonard, and Leonard alone, has the power to end all of this. The needless drama. The silly speculation. The sense of impending doom. Enough already.

He has two choices now. He can do something, or he can say something. Either suit up again, or offer an explanation. It is not unreasonable to expect him to do one or the other.

We appreciate that he is a quiet man, an introverted man, a superstar reluctant to draw attention to himself. Normally, these characteristics are admirable, and they are reasons why so many fans, teammates and coaches love him.

But we have reached the point in this saga where the combination of his inactivity and his silence has created a toxic void. As long as he continues to not play and not talk, that void will be filled with mystery, with panic and with breathless debate-show hot takes.

If Leonard wants to stop it, he can do so immediately. If he tells the Spurs he is ready to play, they are not going to keep him off the floor. The team’s medical staff —historically one of the most conservative in the NBA when it comes to not pushing players — already has cleared him for action. It’s up to him.

If, on the other hand, he’s still in pain? If he still does not feel like the tendinopathy in his quadriceps has healed enough to make him comfortable taking the floor? If he is worried about injuring himself further, or if he is concerned about his future?

Just say so. We, the general public, would understand that. We are not unfeeling monsters.

But we do tend to make assumptions based on the information available to us. And right now, we have reports of a strained relationship between Leonard and the Spurs. The Spurs publicly have denied the substance of these reports, but Leonard has done or said nothing to refute them.

Again, we appreciate that is not in his nature. He is not the call-a-news-conference or post-a-Twitter-screed type. But in this case, it sure would help if he were.

The Spurs are not going to turn on him. They have been nothing but supportive, and that will not change. Friday morning after the team’s shootaround at the Pepsi Center, I asked Gregg Popovich what would happen if Leonard came to him this week and declared himself ready to play.

“I’m not going to discuss that stuff with you,” Popovich said. “I love you, but no.”

Aside from the blatant lie in the second half of that quote, one thing should be obvious: Of course Popovich will let Leonard play if Leonard says he can go. Popovich would be crazy not to, especially after team doctors have given their approval.

Think about it. This is not a case of the Spurs holding a young Tim Duncan out of the 2000 playoffs despite the forward’s desire to play. In that instance, it was the team’s medical staff that advised against it.

Over the years, there have been countless other examples of the Spurs siding with caution. So when Tony Parker was asked Friday if anyone on or with the team was pushing Leonard to come back, he could not help but laugh.

“It’s not the philosophy of the Spurs,” Parker said.

“Everybody knows that the Spurs, as an organization, will do anything for you to be safe, and to prolong your career. That’s the philosophy, not to rush anybody. So he’ll come back whenever he thinks he’s ready.”

That is absolutely true. When Leonard deems himself ready, he can come back. The Spurs never will say so, but they are not dumb. You do not keep one of the top five players in the NBA from taking the floor if he wants to go and there is no medical reason to keep him sidelined.

What Popovich said earlier in the week — that he would be surprised if Leonard plays this season — should not be taken at face value. He wants his team to realize they should not be waiting around for the cavalry. As he repeated Friday, “it doesn’t do any good to be wishing and hoping that somebody’s going to be added and save the day.”

And if Popovich’s words also served as a reminder to Leonard that time is running out, well, so be it. For the record, Leonard spent the All-Star break working out in the New York area, and supposedly he is making progress.

Maybe this will sort itself out soon. Maybe Leonard will greet the Spurs in San Antonio when they return from this trip, and he will decide to take part in a full practice, and he will feel good enough to wear a game uniform again, and then he will sign a “supermax” contract extension this summer. That would be a great outcome for everyone.

But until Leonard does or says something, the drama will continue. He can end it whenever he chooses to do so.

We’re waiting.