The dust is finally settling around the Kawhi Leonard trade, as the forward has put the finishing touches on a $165 million dollar deal for three years with the Toronto Raptors. Shams Charania reported today that Leonard has signed a two-year extension for $115 million dollars, offering the team a slight discount of $11 million dollars, while waiving his trade kicker of $7.45 million dollars.
Leaving several million dollars on the table demonstrates a newfound willingness to pursue team success, and an early show of commitment to Toronto. Leonard retains a level of personal control with the addition of a player option in the third year of his contract, where he would be 37 years old.
Charania went on to note that Leonard believes that his second stint in Toronto will mark the end of his career in the NBA, reporting that he had been told that the Klaw’s insistence that he will retire a Raptor was a notable component of the agreement between the two parties.
Leonard may be turning over a new leaf as he re-enters the Canadian market, seemingly moving past the pursuit of a paycheque that seems to have dominated his time in Los Angeles. As the superstar’s career is winding down, Kawhi’s unfinished business in Toronto seems that it will go on to dominate the latter half of the 2020s for this franchise, perhaps ushering the team into a golden age. Only time — and championships — will tell.
