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San Antonio Spurs · Franchise era 5 of 7

The Kawhi handoff: the San Antonio Spurs story

Franchise era

2016–17—2017–18

The Kawhi handoff

San Antonio Spurs

The story in one sentence

Leonard led a 61-win contender before injury and distrust abruptly ended the planned succession.

01

An MVP-level successor, then a sudden split

02

Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the patient reset.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2016–17

    What came before

    Duncan's steadiness allowed San Antonio to evolve from twin towers to a flowing motion offense while winning five championships.

  2. 2017

    Western Conference First Round: San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies

    Western ConferenceFirst Round
    2017
    SAN ANTONIOSPURS
    MEMPHISGRIZZLIES
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference First Round · 6 games

    San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies

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    Series finale · Game 6 · Apr 27, 2017San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies →Closest game · Game 4 · Apr 22, 2017San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies →

  3. 2017

    Western Conference Semifinals: San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    2017
    SAN ANTONIOSPURS
    HOUSTONROCKETS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 6 games

    San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets

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    Series finale · Game 6 · May 11, 2017San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets →Closest game · Game 5 · May 9, 2017Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs →

  4. 2017

    Western Conference Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs Golden State Warriors

    Western ConferenceFinals
    2017
    SAN ANTONIOSPURS
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Finals · 4 games

    San Antonio Spurs vs Golden State Warriors

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    Series finale · Game 4 · May 22, 2017Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs →Closest game · Game 1 · May 14, 2017San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors →

  5. After 2017–18

    What came next

    San Antonio transitioned from veterans to draft development and eventually committed to a ground-up rebuild.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Kawhi Leonard→02LaMarcus Aldridge→03Pau Gasol→
← Previous eraThe Duncan dynasty1997–98—2015–16Next era →The patient reset2018–19—2022–23