NBA Rumors: There’s hope Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard returns in March

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 14: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs stands on the court during Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on May 14, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 14: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs stands on the court during Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on May 14, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

NBA Rumors: Kawhi Leonard could return to the San Antonio Spurs lineup in March

Five days ago, all seemed bleak for the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, not so much. That’s because it’s being reported that Kawhi Leonard could return to the lineup in March. It’s no guarantee, but there’s at least a chance that he can. Perhaps most importantly, he’s back in San Antonio, working with the Spurs.

"[via ESPN]San Antonio star Kawhi Leonard plans to resume working with the team at the Spurs’ practice facility this week — with the hopes of returning to the lineup sometime in March, league sources told ESPN."

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"Leonard has returned to San Antonio from New York, where he spent three weeks seeking further consultation on a right quad injury that has sidelined him for most of the season, league sources said."

Gregg Popovich told reporters last week that he didn’t expect Kawhi to return this season. Although, that was probably a way to take the pressure of Kawhi. After all, as soon as a target date gets thrown out there, the pressure mounds.

Even with this recent report, the word “hope” is thrown in there to not exactly make this a “real” target date. After all, there’s still so much that we don’t know about this whole ordeal. At the very least, this is encouraging.

After weeks and months of bad report and bad report out of San Antonio, this is the type of news that could reignite a team. It was reported just a few weeks ago that there was some sort of disconnect between the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard, stemming over the handling of his injury and rehab. However, there’s no question that this most recent report – and potentially his return to the lineup – will definitely quiet those narratives.

With the Wolves losing Jimmy Butler over the weekend, this could be exactly what the Spurs need to tie up the 3 seed in the conference. And if the Spurs are getting a healthy Kawhi for the playoffs, all bets are off.

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This is a Spurs team that has proven they can play with anybody in the playoffs. Perhaps the lights aren’t completely out on the San Antonio Spurs this season.