Five Key Stories: 2/17/18 – 2/24/18

If you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the more noteworthy stories from the last seven days.

Kawhi Leonard verticalDespite being medically cleared to return, Spurs All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard may not play the rest of this season, per head coach Gregg Popovich. Leonard, who missed the first two months of the season with a lingering quad injury, was shut down by the team after appearing in just nine games. As we relayed earlier this season, Leonard’s prolonged absence has caused stress within the Spurs organization, and the deteriorating relationship between the team and its star player could affect his decision when free agency arrives in 2019.

The Mavericks have one of the worst records in the NBA, and with no shot at making the playoffs, owner Mark Cuban has admitted that it would be in the team’s best long-term interest to keep piling up losses this seasonCuban further admitted to telling some of the Dallas players during a recent dinner that losing is the team’s best option. The NBA was none too pleased with Cuban, fining the outspoken owner $600K for his comments.

In even more bad news for what became a terrible week for the Mavericks, the team has hired outside counsel to investigate allegations of a corrosive workplace culture involving misogyny and sexual harassment. Sources have made it clear that Cuban was not involved in any sexual harassment himself, though most believe it hard to imagine that a hands-on owner would be unaware of such issues surrounding his franchise. For what it’s worth, Cuban strongly condemned the situation, calling it “abhorrent.”

A plethora of 10-day contracts were signed this past week, with nine different teams adding to their roster.

The Suns and Mavericks are among the teams viewed as potential offseason suitors for Magic power forward Aaron Gordon. And while both Phoenix and Dallas should have plenty of cap space to make a compelling offer, Gordon will almost certainly be made a restricted free agency by Orlando, meaning they will be able to match any offers.

Here are 10 additional headlines from last week:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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