Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor again, seven years after he won them a championship and left.
He does not want to talk about how he got here. “I already was a distraction for the last 70 days,” Leonard said at media day. “Moving forward, I just want to talk about the Toronto Raptors today.”
The Trade Was Held Hostage by an Investigation
The Clippers sent Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram and Ousmane Dieng, plus two Toronto first-round picks going to Los Angeles. The deal sat in limbo until the NBA finished investigating the Clippers, and it was finalized in late September.
Leonard signed a two-year, $115 million extension with Toronto.
What the League Found
The investigation centered on allegations that Leonard was paid $28 million for a no-show job, routed through endorsement arrangements with Aspiration and Daktronics.
The penalties were severe. Leonard was fined $700,000. His uncle, Dennis Robertson, was banned from NBA business. On the Clippers’ side, owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and suspended for a year, Lawrence Frank drew a six-month unpaid suspension, Gillian Zucker got a year unpaid, and the franchise was stripped of five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.
Leonard’s own read on it was flat. “I don’t know what to think of it all,” he said. “I’m not entertained by it.”
The Basketball Problem Is Real
Leonard is 35 and on a minutes ramp-up, and the delay cost him his offseason. “I wasn’t able to do much this summer because the trade was in a holding pattern,” he said.
That is the part Toronto should worry about more than the fine. Leonard played 65 games last season and missed 17, and he is now entering a season having been unable to train normally. A player with his injury history needs a full summer more than most.
Toronto Did This on Purpose
There is something almost defiant about the Raptors taking on Leonard at 35 with $115 million attached, in the middle of a league investigation, after what happened the last time he left.
Here is the case for it. Toronto has been stuck between a rebuild and relevance for years. Leonard at 65 games a season is still one of the 15 best players alive when he is on the floor, and the 2019 title proved he can carry a Toronto roster that is good rather than great.
The case against it writes itself. He is 35, he has not played a full season in a long time, and the Raptors just paid a premium for a player the Clippers were willing to move.
How Much Is Left
Leonard hinted retirement is roughly four or five years away, which is either optimism or a negotiating position.
His last-season averages, the exact trade date, his minutes restrictions and whether he is cleared for preseason games have not all been established publicly. What is clear is that he is in Toronto, he is paid, and he is finished answering questions about Los Angeles.
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.