Mysterious Kawhi Leonard saga leaves Spurs helpless against Warriors in playoff opener

Sam Amick | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption NBA Playoffs: Western Conference preview and predictions SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' NBA experts break down the key story lines heading into the Western Conference playoffs.

OAKLAND – If Kawhi Leonard comes back to save the San Antonio Spurs’ day, then consider this mystery solved.

That sort of dramatic comeback tale – MVP-caliber talent who missed nearly the entire season with a quadriceps injury reappears from remote rehab session in New York City to stun Golden State in the first round of the NBA playoffs – would help explain why he wasn’t with his team at tipoff at Oracle Arena on Saturday. It wouldn’t erase all the frustration and uncertainty that his sojourns have caused the past six months, but it would come pretty darn close.

As of now, that doesn’t appear to be the case. And to see the Spurs struggle without him in Game 1, falling 113-92 while Leonard was believed to be on the other side of the country, was a reminder of just how strange this whole saga has been.

No, NBA fans, this is not normal.

More NBA:

Leonard is the Spurs’ franchise centerpiece, the 26-year-old small forward who rose to prominence within their system and whose odd handling of his health has created quite the fork in the road for this celebrated franchise. Do they give him the five-year, $219 million extension on July 1 that seemed a foregone conclusion not long ago, even if his appearance on Jan. 13 winds up being his final game of the 2017-18 campaign? Or, after this season in which Leonard was cleared to play by the Spurs but stayed out at the behest of his outside medical team, is the game’s best two-way player about to get traded this summer?

Saturday’s absence was the latest indication that it could be the latter.

For all those general managers who want San Antonio to put Leonard on the trade block, whose ears perked up every time a new report surfaced about the growing divide between him and his team, the Game 1 scene was everything they could have hoped for. There were no signs of unity on the bench, where the two-time Defensive Player of the Year could have cheered his teammates on while making it clear to that he’s still emotionally invested in this group. The contrast was there for all to see, as two-time MVP Stephen Curry was vocal on his team’s sideline while he remains out with a strained MCL. As Kevin Durant torched the Spurs for 24 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, it was impossible not to think what Leonard could've done to deter him on the defensive end.

There was no Leonard in the locker room, either, where his teammates' views vary on the question of how challenging this has been. As Popovich has said all along, they need to keep playing with the assumption that Leonard is done for the season – if only because that’s the right psychological play. And sure enough, as forward Pau Gasol shared pregame, they haven’t seen Leonard in weeks.

That message of having a Leonard-less focus was reiterated by several players pregame, with some acknowledging the bizarre nature of it all and others highlighting the fact that Leonard has maintained communication with some players (he text-messaged with at least one Spurs player on Saturday morning, for example). Leonard hasn't spoken publicly much, but he downplayed the severity of the situation in early March and swore that he stills wants to finish his career with the Spurs.

Still, this is the kind of complicated team dynamic that so many rival teams hope leads to Leonard’s exit.

Consider the Los Angeles Clippers one of the many teams keeping tabs on the situation. The Clippers are planning a trade package if Leonard ultimately becomes available, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Landing Leonard – who grew up outside of Los Angeles in Moreno Valley, hails from San Diego State and is known to be a favorite of Clippers consultant Jerry West – would be well worth the hefty price it would take to get him. Maybe the Clippers offer their two first-round picks in this June’s draft, and whatever combination of other talent the Spurs want in return. And suddenly, they’re back in Western Conference contention again.

Leonard is a sea-change type of player, someone who looked fully capable of helping San Antonio down the Warriors nearly a year ago when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. But those days, much like Leonard, are gone. And so long as he stays in the shadows, these questions that could lead to the NBA’s latest power shift remain.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter.