Kawhi Leonard Shows Up at Spurs Practice Facility, May Return to Lineup By Late March

Following weeks of rumors and speculation, Kawhi Leonard returned to the Spurs' practice facility Tuesday to start working with the team again, teammate Danny Green told KSAT.

#Spurs news: Danny Green at practice today confirmed Kawhi Leonard is in SA and in the building, but did not speculate on a return timetable, "that's above my pay grade" #KSATnews #KSATsports pic.twitter.com/LUfcpnjk84

— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) February 27, 2018

While head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters last week that he would be "surprised" if Leonard were to return this season at all, a new ESPN report claims that Leonard hopes to return to the court by late March, just a few weeks before the end of the regular season.

According to ESPN, Leonard recently returned to the Alamo City after spending three weeks in New York. League sources told ESPN that Leonard sought additional consultation on his right quad injury, the reason he's been out for all but nine games this season. The sports site said his return is "based on his comfort level with managing the injury."

The extra consultation was supposedly why Leonard hasn't already returned to the court, despite being medically cleared, according to league sources. Last month, league sources told ESPN that the disagreement caused a strain in the player-franchise relationship, leading basketball experts and fans to speculate whether Leonard will stay with the Spurs when he becomes a free agent in summer 2019.

For now, Leonard's somewhat return indicates that all is well in Spurs country. Now that Leonard is back in San Antonio, he's expected to take it slow and build up to 5-on-5 practices with his team, league sources told ESPN.

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