Kawhi Leonard’s new two-year, $115 million extension with the Toronto Raptors lands right in the middle of the franchise’s long-running identity: expensive enough to raise eyebrows, but not so expensive that it feels out of character.
That’s the tension around this deal. Toronto didn’t pay the absolute top of the market to keep Leonard, but it still committed major money to a player whose health has been a concern in recent years. And according to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn on the Third Apron Podcast, that kind of move fits the Raptors’ reputation almost too well.
“The Raptors have a reputation around the NBA simultaneously for being a team that tends to duck the tax but also being a team that weirdly doesn’t really negotiate hard with its own players,” Quinn said. “I know Immanuel Quickley was signed during the Masai Ujiri era.
That contract is like the benchmark for overpaid guards right now. Jakob Poeltl…That deal made no sense to anybody.”
Quinn didn’t stop there. He pointed to Toronto’s approach as something that deserves a little criticism, especially with Leonard’s situation.
He added, “Kawhi might just be awesome. He might just be Kawhi, and you’re fine paying him whatever. I think they had a little bit more room to negotiate, and, given their history, yeah, I’m going to ding them a little big for not negotiating hard with Kawhi when there is a somewhat similar standard out there for a similarly accomplished player who’s roughly as good right now, who got a much better deal from the Rockets.”
That player was Kevin Durant, who signed for $90 million over two years last season. Leonard’s leverage was significant, too, since he had made it public that he would only want to sign an extension with the Raptors and Spurs if the Clippers traded him.
Of the Raptors’ major contracts, Leonard’s has the clearest path to looking justified. If he performs the way he did for the Clippers last season and stays on the floor, Toronto could be staring at a contender for the next few years.
He may also be the piece that helps Immanuel Quickley have his best season as a Raptor. A scorer of Leonard’s caliber should make life easier for Quickley by creating more space and more off-ball chances.
Jakob Poeltl’s deal remains the toughest sell, but there’s still a case for it if he’s healthier than he was last season. Toronto needs his size and rebounding, especially with backup options that are either undersized or still unproven, even if Collin Murray-Boyles will close many games.
Even if Leonard, Quickley, and Poeltl all play well, the Raptors’ cap picture stays complicated. RJ Barrett will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, Jamal Shead is headed for restricted free agency, and Ja’Kobe Walter has a chance to work his way into a nice rookie extension this season. Barrett is the most expensive of that group to bring back, which makes him a name to watch in trade talks.
And for all the money Toronto has already committed, the roster still needs more help. The Raptors still have upgrades to make if they’re going to build a true contender around Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
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Jakob Poeltl Suddenly Has Real Stakes In The Raptors Center Battle
Jakob Poeltl enters training camp with a different kind of pressure than he faced a year ago. After a 2025-26 season disrupted by injuries and marked by a drop in production over 46 games, the Raptors center now has to prove not only that his body can hold up, but that his role is still secure in a rotation that has changed around him.
Bobby Webster has indicated Poeltl is in good shape and motivated, which matters for a team trying to sort out its frontcourt hierarchy early in camp. Even with Collin Murray-Boyles making a strong case for minutes and trade talk lingering around the roster, Poeltl still looks like a real candidate to open the season as the starter, and the next few weeks should show whether that standing is as firm as it sounds. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Quietly Added Two Guards Fans Will Want To Track In Camp
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Key is familiar to the organization after time with Raptors 905 and a brief standard contract with the big club last season, while Burnett arrives with a different kind of pedigree after starting for Michigans national championship team. Both will be worth tracking once camp opens, alongside five other players around the league who also landed training camp deals this week. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonard Could Create A Tough Raptors Debate Around Darko Rajakovic
Darko Rajakovic barely registered in the 2025-26 Coach of the Year voting after helping push the Raptors to a major step forward, but the conversation around him is already moving into bigger territory. Zach Lowe and Howard Beck have both pointed to Rajakovic as an early favorite for the next race, and Torontos profile only gets more interesting with Kawhi Leonard now in the mix.
Leonards arrival gives the Raptors another layer of intrigue because any leap from here will be judged against the upgrade in talent as much as the coaching itself. Toronto could also have award chatter elsewhere, with Collin Murray-Boyles in the Sixth Man of the Year mix and Scottie Barnes in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, which means Rajakovic may have a hard time separating his work from a roster that suddenly has several headline possibilities. [Read more 🡒]