While the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto will forever be linked to the Clippers salary cap circumvention findings and punishments, the motivations for it were never fully — or even mostly — about that. The Clippers already were pivoting away from the Leonard/Paul George era before everything hit the fan, and they had no intention of giving Leonard the massive extension he wanted. He then wanted to go to a team that would pay him.
Enter the Toronto Raptors.
Leonard and the Raptors “have held advanced discussions and are nearing an agreement on a contract extension,” reports NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. Those talks were always expected but, like the trade to Toronto itself, were put on hold as the Raptors waited for the NBA investigation to play itself out. Now everything is back on track.
To answer the first question: Leonard has a different agent handling these negotiations, Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports. “Uncle” Dennis Robertson has been banned from doing any business in the league for five years, not that he had any clients outside Leonard.
The bigger question here is money. Leonard will make $50.3 million this season in the final year of his current contract, and is eligible for a max extension of two years, $126 million. The Raptors are likely looking for something below the $100 million mark for two years, because paying big money to a 35-year-old with a lengthy injury history is a massive risk.
When healthy, Leonard is still elite: Last season in 65 games, he averaged 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, shot 38.7% from 3 and played high-level defense. Having him and Scottie Barnes at forward gives the Raptors two All-NBA-level players who can lift them into the top four and make them a threat in the East.
The risk is Leonard being on the court enough to have that impact. Both the Raptors organization and its fans understand the need to prioritize recovery and give him days off during the season to maximize his chances of playing 65 games again (and being good to go for the playoffs).
Whatever the final number, look for Leonard to sign a two-year extension, which will take him to age 38.
Leonard has yet to meet with the media in Toronto — his first media availability anywhere is going to be filled with difficult questions — but he did take part in the Raptors’ “Open Gym” video series and discussed why he wanted to return to Toronto.
“I’m not really championship chasing... I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys. This city took a liking to my family, and I took a liking to this city. I really liked it. My son was born here, and he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back. Now he’s back, and he’s able to see it rather than me tell him the great stories that happened.”
