The Kawhi Leonard reunion is official, and the next move almost writes itself: Toronto is expected to lock him up on an extension.
After months of waiting through the investigation that had the trade on hold, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that both sides have agreed to move forward and finalize the deal. Once the trade call between Toronto and LA happens, along with the standard team announcements, the move will be fully complete. In other words, Kawhi Leonard is back with the Raptors.
That clears the way for the part that matters most now. The expectation is that Leonard and Toronto will work out a contract extension, and that’s the direction all signs have pointed for a while.
Before the June 30 trade announcement, reports were already circulating that Leonard and his camp were telling the Clippers - and other potential suitors - that if he were moved, Toronto was the only place he wanted to extend with. That made the Raptors the clear favorite, and the deal eventually came together.
The numbers being floated are hefty. Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg said on X that Leonard can sign a deal “worth up to $126 million” over two years as soon as he arrives.
He also noted that the extension could be done before training camp, which is two weeks away, and possibly even sooner. If that happens, Leonard would be tied to the Raptors through the 2028-29 season, when he’ll be 37 years old.
There’s no mystery about Toronto’s financial picture either. The Raptors are already carrying a heavy cap sheet, with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and now Leonard all eating into the books and pushing the team right up against the first apron. But after going all-in to bring Leonard back, paying him is not really a debate.
This isn’t the one-year rental Toronto swung for in 2018-19. The message now is simple: Leonard is bought in, and the Raptors are moving ahead with him at the center of things. The front office clearly believes this second run can work, and the extension report should be coming soon.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Trade Just Changed Everything For The Raptors
The Raptors latest jolt came with a blockbuster twist, as Toronto and Los Angeles finalized a trade that brings Kawhi Leonard north after the Clippers salary-cap situation drew an investigation. In return, Toronto is parting with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft picks, a price that underscores just how dramatically this move can alter the teams direction.
Leonard is now cleared to report to Raptors training camp in Quebec City, which gives Toronto an immediate chance to see how the new-look roster fits together. The timing adds another layer to an already unusual deal, with the franchise suddenly shifting from rumor and review to the practical work of putting Leonard back in a Raptors uniform. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Is Back But The Raptors Still Face One Huge Question
Kawhi Leonard is on his way back to Toronto, and the move instantly jolts a franchise that still remembers how quickly he changed its ceiling the first time around. The Raptors have agreed to bring Leonard in from the Clippers, pending the official trade call, in a deal that underscores just how far teams will go for a player who can reshape a season and, maybe, a future.
The price is steep enough to make the return as much about long-term pressure as short-term buzz, with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, multiple future draft picks, and pick swaps headed to Los Angeles. The Clippers also accepted NBA penalties tied to the original salary cap circumvention case, which only adds another layer to a move that already carries plenty of history, and Torontos biggest question now is how this reunion is supposed to fit once Leonard arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Finally Get Their Kawhi Answer After Months Of Chaos
Months after the rumor mill started spinning and the paperwork seemed to stall at every turn, Toronto has finally gotten the answer it had been waiting on. The long-delayed trade involving Kawhi Leonard has been completed, with the leagues investigation into the Clippers and the resulting penalties clearing the way for the deal to go through.
For the Raptors, the return is significant not just because it reopens a familiar chapter, but because it reshapes the roster in a major way. The Clippers are sending back Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks, a haul that shows just how much was at stake while the league sorted through the case behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]