The San Antonio Spurs plan for Kawhi Leonard to miss the preseason. This is likely a direct result of the fact that they have to be very careful about how they Rest players. The NBA is going to start fining teams if they rest their players at the wrong time, and the Spurs have never planned around how the NBA wants them to rest their stars. The Spurs will probably take some fines this season, but they have to save Kawhi because he got hurt in the playoffs last year. Missing the preseason is a small price to pay for future success.
Kawhi is their best chance
Kawhi Leonard is by far the best player for the Spurs and he is the only person on this roster who will help them win. He can perform well enough to win a few games by himself, and he will be missed if he is not on the court. This guy has become the franchise player for the Spurs and is too valuable for the team to lose to a silly preseason injury. Thus he will get some early rest.
Their schedule
I would be willing to bet that the Spurs have a calendar with all the games circled where they will rest players. They probably have a plan that ensures they are not fined and they are probably planning to rest Leonard more than anyone else. A team that has won five titles does not need to win 60 games in a season and they will need all their strength to compete with the Golden State Warriors.
The NBA has made scheduling more complex for teams like this that rest their players, so the Spurs has had to adjust their plan because they cannot rest Leonard as much as they wanted.
Their goals
The Spurs only have one goal and they plan to go to the NBA Finals again. They cannot get there unless they are healthy enough to compete with the Warriors.
There are a lot of people who would say that they are not capable because no one is beating the Warriors. However, the Spurs do not want to back down. Planning to keep Leonard healthy is in their nature, and they will continue to do what they have always done.
The NBA will be upset
The NBA will be upset with the Spurs because of how they choose to rest players, and a lot of the resting will probably be layered.
Tony Parker, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, and LaMarcus Aldridge will likely get a lot of rest during the regular season as well. The San Antonio Spurs will work hard to keep their roster healthy enough to succeed in the playoffs.
Additional reasons that the Spurs have been in the news included the possibility of LaMarcus Aldridge trade discussions and even rumors of a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.
