Shams: Kawhi Leonard agrees to two-year extension

Leonard officially returned to the Raptors on Tuesday, and head coach Darko Rajaković didn’t have to ask much of his star forward. After playing 13 minutes in the first half, Leonard logged 11 in the second. With Toronto leading by a large margin throughout, Kawhi could have been limited to 20 minutes if not for the desire to give him added conditioning. Leonard won’t have many 5-of-17 nights, so fantasy managers have nothing to worry about there.

Leonard spent the 2018-19 season in Toronto, delivering the franchise’s only championship. The 35-year-old small forward is set to make his return in the Raptors’ season opener against the Bulls Wednesday. He’ll start alongside Quickly, Barrett, Barnes and Poeltl.

Leonard only played 17 minutes in the first game of his second stint as a Raptor, but his impact was immediate and clear. Sure, it came against the Knicks’ bench, but it was still encouraging to see the entire team play as well as they did. Leonard should be ready to play his normal role in the season opener against the Bulls on Wednesday, and he’ll still have one more chance to play this preseason, either in New York on Thursday or in Detroit on Friday.

Leonard sat out previous preseason outings, though it wasn’t because of an injury. He’ll suit up against New York for the first game of his second stint with Toronto. Expect him to play a limited role in the exhibition match.

The Raptors have experience with how to approach Leonard’s availability, as the team exercised caution with him during his first stint with the franchise. The training staff is taking a similar approach, as he was not made available for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Heat in Quebec City. According to TSN, Leonard is also expected to sit out the Raptors’ second exhibition, which is scheduled for October 10 in Vancouver against the Clippers. Fantasy managers don’t have much to worry about regarding Leonard’s availability once the regular season begins. However, the injury management may give some managers pause when evaluating whether to select him with an early-round pick in drafts.

Mere days after his return to Toronto became official, Leonard is reportedly closing in on a lucrative contract extension. According to Fischer, the talented forward is eligible for a deal worth up to $126 million over two years. Leonard is going into the final season of a contract that will pay him just over $50 million. So, while the collective bargaining agreement limits how many years he can sign for, Kawhi’s average annual salary would get a nice bump if the extension comes to fruition.

The trade the Raptors put on hold in early July while the league investigated Leonard’s contract with the Clippers is coming to fruition. Regarding the draft capital, the Clippers will still receive two future first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks. When healthy, Leonard is one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball, especially in category leagues. He has appeared in 65 games or more in two of the last three seasons. While fantasy managers will have to consider the occasional injury-management night, Leonard’s availability may not be as much of a concern as it was in past seasons.

The Clippers and Raptors agreed to a deal that would send Leonard to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft compensation in July. However, an investigation into Leonard’s contract with the Clippers put those plans on hold. The Justice Department has opened its own investigation into the deal, but the NBA concluded its probe and penalized the Clippers on September 2. With Clippers governor Steve Ballmer accepting the ruling after initially vowing to fight, the door may now open for the Leonard trade to be completed soon. Kawhi was with the Raptors players in Miami for their minicamp last week but worked out individually because the trade wasn’t official.

Although Leonard’s return to Toronto was initially agreed to in July, the NBA’s investigation into his contracts with the Clippers delayed the transaction. The investigation has since concluded, with Leonard receiving a $700,000 fine, the Clippers losing five first-round picks and being forced to pay a $30 million fine, and Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Gillian Rucker receiving suspensions ranging from six months to one year. However, the Clippers have not agreed to the trade because they reportedly need to finalize their new front-office structure while Frank is unavailable. As a result, Leonard could only work out individually while the Raptors went through their paces in Miami. As long as the deal is completed in time for training camp, fantasy managers have nothing to worry about regarding Leonard’s value. If not, that would put another dent in his value along with the availability concerns.

Leonard will reportedly also have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits by the Clippers for his uncle and former business representative Dennis Robertson, who has also been banned from all business dealings in the NBA. Both Ballmer and Rucker have been suspended for a year, while Frank’s suspension is for six months. The picks the Clippers will lose are from 2029-2033, though they have a few extra picks during that stretch from the Kawhi and Ivica Zubac trades. The Leonard trade should officially go through now that the investigation is complete.