The saga continues. Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs always seemed like a match made in heaven. But recently there's no secret that there's trouble in paradise.

Leonard sat out most of the 2017-18 season with a mysterious quad injury and many outside observers wondered why it was taking Leonard so long to return. It's become clear that Leonard feared further aggravating his injury and hurting his chances to cash in on free agency.

According to NBA Columnist Peter Vecsey:

“Kawhi listened to the Spurs doctor. Did everything he was told. But when he went back to play his knee began to hurt from the stress. He was scared about blowing it out. He saw what happened to Isaiah Thomas when he played in pain for Boston in the playoffs. He got reduced to damaged goods. As a free agent this summer, he’ll never recoup the $50M-$100M he lost by deciding to play. ‘The Spurs knew the quad was only 70 percent,' insists my source. ‘Kawhi got good advice, advice anybody would give their son in the same situation, see an independent doctor.'”

It's hard to blame Kawhi for sitting out a majority of the season and the playoffs. Fans love to see their favorite players fight through injury and play through pain, but when there are millions of dollars at stake, it's hard to see any fault in Leonard's decision.

The Spurs were aware that Leonard wasn't fully healthy and while they would have loved to have him on the court, they wouldn't be the ones losing out on their next big payday. If Leonard returned only to blow out his knee or re-injure his quad, he may never see another big payday again.

It's a tough spot for the Spurs to be in, but they have to understand where Leonard is coming from.