Kawhi Leonard last played a game for the Toronto Raptors in June 2019, when he won them a championship and then left. On Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, against the defending champion New York Knicks, he puts the jersey back on.
Darko Rajakovic confirmed it after Monday’s practice. “Yes, he went through practice today. He’s feeling great,” the Raptors coach said, adding that Leonard “is going to be available for the game tomorrow.”
How He Got Back Here
Toronto agreed to re-acquire Leonard from the Clippers on June 30, but the deal was not finalized until September 14 because the NBA was investigating Los Angeles for salary-cap circumvention tied to Leonard’s contract.
The package Toronto sent: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, a 2027 first-round pick swap, a 2030 second-rounder, a 2031 first, a 2033 first and a 2033 second. That is a significant haul for a 35-year-old.
The investigation ended badly for the Clippers, who were stripped of five first-round picks. Leonard was fined $700,000. He was not suspended and his contract was not voided.
The Extension
Leonard and Toronto agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension in late September. The number came in under his max for a specific reason: because he had just been traded, his first-year raise was capped at 20 percent. Waiting six months would have pushed the ceiling to roughly $128 million.
It includes a player option for 2028-29 and is limited to two years by the over-38 rule. The deal makes Leonard the eighth player in NBA history to clear $500 million in career earnings.
He Is Still Good
This is the part that gets lost under the contract drama. Leonard played 65 games for the Clippers last season and averaged a career-high 27.9 points. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA Second Team and finished seventh in MVP voting.
That is not a declining star being paid for past work. That is one of the best scorers in the league who happens to be 35 with an injury history.
The Ramp-Up Has Been Slow on Purpose
Leonard sat Toronto’s first three preseason games, including the October 3 meeting with Miami in Quebec City and the October 10 game against his former Clippers team in Vancouver.
He explained why at camp. “I mean I’m there pretty much. We’re just taking our time to ramp up,” he said. “I wasn’t able to really do much with the trade in a holding pattern. It’s just kind of like a minute restriction in a sense. But coming soon, I’ll be able to be fully active.”
His approach: “Being smart, taking it slow.”
Rajakovic said at media day that load management will be part of the plan given Leonard’s age and injury history, and he declined to say Monday how many minutes Leonard would play or when he would enter the game.
What Toronto Looks Like Around Him
The projected rotation has Immanuel Quickley at point guard, RJ Barrett at shooting guard, Leonard at small forward, Scottie Barnes at power forward and Collin Murray-Boyles at center, with Jakob Poeltl, Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle and rookie Allen Graves off the bench.
Rajakovic called the Poeltl and Murray-Boyles pairing “a work in progress.” Murray-Boyles averaged 9.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in his first two preseason games on 36.8 percent shooting, with nine turnovers against the Clippers.
Jamal Shead said it will be “cool to see him in that first group.”
Toronto finishes the preseason at New York on October 15 and at Detroit on October 16, then opens the regular season October 21 against Chicago.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.