The Kawhi Leonard saga keeps getting weirder. Just a week after there was talk of a rift opening between Leonard and the Spurs, there is now speculation that he may return as early as March from the quad injury that has sidelined him for all but nine games this season. Leonard has reportedly already resumed working out with San Antonio.

Just last week, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that he'd be "surprised" if Leonard returned this season. His reasoning was that there simply wasn't enough time left, in his mind, for Leonard to be able to get back into playing shape. That was followed by a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski saying that Leonard had already been cleared by the Spurs medical staff, and that the decision of whether or not to play was entirely up to Leonard.

San Antonio generally plays things pretty close to the vest when it comes to injuries, but this kind of back-and-forth is not something you usually see from that organization. It's raised some questions about the relationship between the Spurs and Leonard, who can choose to become a free agent in the summer of 2019.

Despite the absence of their perennial MVP candidate, the Spurs have managed to claim the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference standings with a 36-25 record. If Leonard is able to return and play at close to 100 percent, the Spurs would re-enter the conversation as a potential threat to come out of the West.