Kawhi Leonard to make preseason debut vs. Knicks

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.

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.

With Leonard’s trade to Toronto finally completed last week, they didn’t waste any time to ensure his second stint with the team would be longer than the first. This will keep Kawhi with the Raptors for the next three seasons. They’ll be all in on trying to win another championship with Leonard leading the way for the next few seasons.

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.

Leonard was traded to Toronto in late June, with the Clippers receiving Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft capital. However, the ongoing investigation into Leonard’s Clippers contract led the Raptors to pause the deal, as potential penalties could affect Toronto. Despite new information about an undisclosed sponsorship with Daktronics reported by Pablo Torre, Leonard is going through his offseason expecting to be a Raptor by the time training camp opens in late September. When available, Leonard is one of the best players to have rostered in fantasy basketball. However, the injury history combined with this investigation will give managers something to think about at draft time.

The Clippers agreed with the Raptors on a trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation. However, due to the investigation into the contract that the Clippers signed Leonard to, that transaction is on hold. And with Wednesday’s report, it’s fair to wonder if the trade will ever get done, as a potential penalty would be to void Leonard’s contract, making him a free agent. Also, Toronto would assume the penalties if they were to acquire Leonard before a ruling was made, hence the decision to delay the trade.