The Raptors got more than a star back when Kawhi Leonard signed on for two more seasons. They also got a little breathing room.
Leonard’s two-year, $115 million extension came in about $11 million short of the maximum he could have taken, giving Toronto roughly $5.5 million in extra flexibility in each season of the deal. In the NBA’s apron era, that kind of discount matters. It could give the Raptors a path to add another rotation piece or patch a weakness around Leonard, Scottie Barnes and the rest of the core, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet laid out.
Leonard also gave up a trade kicker that was worth around $7.5 million to help make the return happen.
Toronto, for its part, made a significant concession of its own. The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a player option for 2028-29, which gives the 35-year-old protection if injuries or age cut into his value while still leaving him a chance to opt out if he’s still playing at an elite level.
One prominent agent told Sportsnet that the player option made the agreement a clear win for Leonard. It could still end up helping the Raptors later, though.
If Toronto is still in contention in 2028-29, Leonard could walk away from the option and sign another multi-year deal at a lower annual number, opening up more spending room. That would mirror the arrangement James Harden reached with the Cavaliers this summer.
That part is still theoretical. What Toronto has right now is simpler: an All-NBA forward locked in for two more years, a meaningful discount, and the injury risk that always comes with a player like Leonard.
In Cleveland, the biggest camp issue isn’t about James Harden or Donovan Mitchell. Those two will soak up most of the backcourt minutes anyway. The real question is who handles the backup point guard spot behind them.
Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor and rookie Meleek Thomas are expected to battle for that job, according to Mack Perry of Cavs On SI. Porter brings the most experience as a lead guard and may get the first shot. His chances of holding onto the role may hinge on whether he can become a more dependable shooter from deep.
Proctor offers a different profile. He brings size, defense and off-ball shooting, and he showed some feel as a pick-and-roll creator last season, posting 0.94 points per possession as the ball-handler.
Then there’s Thomas, the swing piece in the group. The rookie might already be the most natural scorer of the three.
He hit 50 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from three in Summer League, though the sample was small. His route to the job depends on how much he improves as a passer and defender.
Whoever wins it won’t be asked to carry Cleveland’s offense. The job is simpler than that: give Kenny Atkinson solid minutes and keep Harden and Mitchell from being run into the ground over the course of the regular season.
New York’s camp questions are a little different, but no less important. The Knicks are dealing with Jalen Brunson’s surgically repaired wrist, an open roster spot and the unsigned status of second-round pick Tyler Nickel.
Nickel, taken No. 47 overall, is one of the few 2026 draft picks who still hasn’t signed an NBA deal. A federal ruling could give him a fifth year of college eligibility, and if that ruling stands, Nickel might be able to make more through an NIL deal than he would on a two-way contract, according to James L.
Edwards III of The Athletic. That possibility could push New York toward finding him a place on the standard roster.
Right now, the Knicks have five veterans in the mix for what is expected to be one available spot: Bruce Brown, John Konchar, Ochai Agbaji, Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman.
Unless New York gives up on staying below the second tax apron or decides against all five veterans, getting Nickel onto a standard contract would likely require a trade.
Edwards pointed to Miles McBride and Pacome Dadiet as the most logical trade options, though he said he would be surprised if McBride were dealt before opening night.
So the Knicks are looking at more than just a final roster decision. They have to decide whether keeping Nickel is worth upsetting a championship rotation or moving another young player out of the picture.
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For the Cavaliers, the decision is not just about adding a young guard with some traction around the league. A move for Nembhard would require creating room by moving on from Riley Minix, and the clock matters because Cleveland is not alone in monitoring him. With other teams also interested, the Cavs have an immediate roster-choice to sort through before the market closes around a player whose emergence has made him more than a throw-in name. [Read more 🡒]
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Cavaliers May Have Found A Low-Risk Answer On The Wing
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The comparison that naturally comes to mind is PJ Tucker, who rebuilt his NBA stock overseas by becoming a dependable jumper and a more versatile defender. Hezonja is not there yet, but the path is easy to see: if his improved shooting translates and he can offer enough toughness on the perimeter, he could end up looking like a low-risk addition with a chance to stick. [Read more 🡒]