Kawhi Leonard could be sticking around in Toronto for a lot longer this time. The Raptors have barely had time to officially welcome their superstar back, and they’re already working on making sure this reunion doesn’t end after one season.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Toronto and Leonard have held advanced discussions about a contract extension and are nearing an agreement. Leonard is eligible to sign for up to two additional years and roughly $126 million.
If the deal gets done, it would completely change the way we look at Leonard’s return to Toronto. The first time Kawhi was a Raptor, everyone knew it was probably temporary. Toronto acquired him from San Antonio in the summer of 2018, but Leonard was already heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract. There was never any promise that he would stay beyond it.
Then came the greatest season in franchise history. Leonard won Finals MVP. Toronto won its first championship. And then he left. Leonard opted out of his contract that summer and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was disappointing for Raptors fans, but there was never much Toronto could do about it. The entire 2018-19 season had essentially been one giant gamble, and it paid off in the biggest way possible.
Now the Raptors have another chance to make the Kawhi era something more than a one-year story. That is what makes these extension talks so important. Toronto just gave up Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two second-round picks to bring Leonard back. You don’t give up that kind of package just to hope everything works for 82 games.
You want him around for the part that comes after that, too. Leonard is 35, so there are obvious questions about how long Toronto should commit to him. His injury history also makes the length and money of any extension something the Raptors have to think carefully about.
Leonard has already shown Toronto what happens when he commits himself to this franchise. The Raptors went all in once before, and it ended with a championship banner. Now they’ve made another massive gamble to bring him back.
The difference this time is that Toronto doesn’t want the story to end after one season. They want Kawhi Leonard to stick around long enough to write another chapter in Toronto. Let’s just say if these extension talks turn into an agreement, the 2019 championship won’t be the only reason Raptors fans remember Kawhi as a Raptor.
