The story of the deteriorating relationship between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs remains shrouded in mystery, but details are slowly starting to unravel about why the All-NBA forward reportedly requested a trade in mid-June.

Leonard was reportedly upset about the way the Spurs organization handled his quad injury last season, and he eventually left the team to rehab with his own group in New York. Afterward, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich would regularly answer questions about Kawhi and his recovery by responding, "You'll have to talk to his group."

Some thought it was just Popovich being his normal, flippant self, but it looks like there was indeed very little, if any communication between Leonard in the Spurs as the season progressed. ESPN's Michael C. Wright recounted a story supporting that assertion on the "Back To Back" podcast:

"There was a point during [Kawhi's] rehab process in New York that some of the Spurs brass went out to see him in New York," Wright said. "As soon as those guys arrived to the building, Kawhi's people grabbed him and sequestered him to another part of the building. And so the Spurs' people couldn't even see him.

" ... These are the types of things that are going on that people don't necessarily know about."

It's one thing to go rehab with your trusted friends and advisers away from your team. It's quite another when those people are actively hiding you from the organization that's paying you $20 million per year to play for them.

Leonard has kept characteristically quiet about the whole situation, which is frustrating for those of us trying to figure out exactly what's going on. No matter how we got here, however, it appears that the relationship between Kawhi and the Spurs is beyond repair.