Kawhi Leonard is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The two-time NBA Finals MVP averaged a career-high 27.9 PPG on 50% shooting and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Leonard has one more year remaining on his contract and he is eligible for an extension on July 6, but there are rumors that the Clippers may look to trade Leonard if he and the club can’t come to agreement on a new deal.
No team is trading for Leonard unless he is willing to sign an extension, though, so what teams could the veteran be interested in playing for? Well, per the SteinLine’s Jake Fischer, Leonard would be open to signing an extension with his former team, the Raptors, who also reportedly have interest in a reunion with the forward.
Kawhi Leonard Back to Toronto?
In his lone season with the Raptors in 2019, Leonard infamously led Toronto to it’s first and only NBA Championship, so hearing that Leonard and the Raptors have mutual interest is music to Toronto fans’ ears.
Leonard makes $50.3 million next season, so for the Raptors to trade for him, they would likely have to make a package around, say, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl to get the deal done — these two make $32.5 and $19.5 million next year, respectively — but that is likely something Toronto would absolutely do to acquire Leonard.
Even at 34-years-old, Leonard is still one of the top two-way players in the game and him joining forces with Scottie Barnes, who is an elite two-way talent himself, would instantly make the Raptors a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. The acquisition of Leonard also could result in some veterans wanting to join Toronto in free agency, to bolster this roster after they presumably lose depth in trading for Leonard.
Obviously, this is all speculation at this point, but Leonard possibly being on the move to the Raptors is an exciting development and something to keep an eye on. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Raptors carry the 19th-best odds to win the NBA Championship next season at +10000.
