It's also pretty damn possible that Kawhi bailed on his team just about all of last year, used any sort of fodder the organization gave as an excuse for doing so, and then forced a move into a big market as all NBA superstars eventually do.

My gut tells me that SAS - a team that objectively has an unparalleled reputation in all professional sports for extending careers and respecting the severity of injuries - could've coddled him steadfastly throughout the last year to his *exact* desires, whatever they were... and this still would've been the end result.

It is what it is. This is the sort of league that the NBA is now.