Kawhi Leonard’s future in Toronto has been revealed.
The Raptors and Leonard agreed on a two-year, $115 million contract extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season.
Leonard is entering his second stint with the organization. He previously spent the 2018-19 season with the Raptors and led the franchise to its first and only NBA championship.
The extension comes just a few weeks after the Clippers were stripped of five first-round picks and fined $30 million for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules. While the Clippers are reeling from the NBA’s punishments, Leonard landed in a better situation.
After being fined $700,000 for his involvement in the Clippers scandal, Leonard was traded to the Raptors after the transaction was previously put on hold amid the investigation. The two-time Finals MVP made his first public comments since the trade last week, when he explained why he chose to return to Toronto.
“I’m not really championship chasing, trying to find the best team I could win [with],” Leonard said on the Raptors’ Open Gym YouTube channel.
“I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys. The city took a liking to my family, I took a liking to the city. Really enjoyed it. My son was born here, and he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back.”
In Toronto, Leonard joins Scottie Barnes in the frontcourt. The Raptors are positioned to make a deep playoff run after securing a top-five seed last season in the Eastern Conference.
