Kawhi Leonard will miss remainder of postseason to rehab in New York, report says

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard will miss the remainder of the postseason as he rehabs an injury to his right quadriceps under the care of his medical team in New York, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports. 

ESPN's Chris B. Haynes also reported that sources said Leonard is improving and being examined routinely, but there was no timetable for his return.

Leonard traveled to New York on March 26 to continue to rehabilitate his injury and has not been publicly seen at a Spurs home or away game since.

The trip came after a reported players-only meeting to address Leonard's injury.

The meeting was described by ESPN as “emotional” and, at times, “tense.” Other Spurs veterans, including Danny Green, refuted the reports, calling the meeting a brief "family business" conversation.

The latest Leonard news comes amid the Spurs' blowout loss Saturday to Golden State in Game 1 of their Western Conference first round series.

Many wondered where Leonard was and why he was not seated behind the team's bench when the Spurs were defeated by the Warriors 113-92. Some Spurs fans held onto hope Leonard could return in the postseason.

Leonard was cleared by the Spurs medical team two months ago, but Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports reports Leonard's New York rehab was approved by and in conjunction with the Spurs' medical staff. 

Head coach Gregg Popovich has repeatedly said Leonard's clearance would now be up to his medical team and then he and Leonard would discuss plans moving forward.

Adding to the confusion surrounding Leonard's status have been reports of several NBA teams preparing to make a trade offer to the Spurs should the organization and Leonard decide to part ways this summer.

Leonard is eligible to sign the supermax extension with the Spurs this summer that would pay him $219 million over five years.

It remains to be seen if the Spurs will offer Leonard the extension or if he plans to sign with San Antonio. He still has one year remaining on his current contract.

Leonard has played his entire seven year career in San Antonio. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2014 and won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team in the past two seasons.

This season, however, Leonard played in only nine regular season games and averaged 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.