Kawhi Leonard officially became a member of the Toronto Raptors last week, and now he's signed up through the 2028-29 season (with the final year being a player option) as he and the Raptors agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension on Tuesday, according to ESPN. Leonard will play out his current contract this season at $50 million before beginning the new deal in 2027. It's mostly good news for both Leonard, who can put this cap circumvention scandal behind him as he returns to the team with which he achieved his greatest individual glory, and the Raptors, who needed a move like this to solidify their standing in a suddenly stacked Eastern Conference.
On paper, the Raptors should be considered among the many legitimate East contenders. They just won 46 games and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs on the strength of a top-five defense that created a league-high 22 turnovers per game. That fueled a transition attack that produced more points per game (28.6) than all but two teams (the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls).
And now Leonard, a much sharper isolation and pick-and-roll weapon than Scottie Barnes, can provide the alpha half-court chops that every true contender requires. Brandon Ingram was supposed to fill that role, particularly late in games. For the most part, he did his job by averaging 21.5 points per game and making the All-Star team.
But ultimately, his methodical DNA was a wonky fit on a team that wants to play fast and free. Toronto was nine points worse per 100 possessions when Ingram was on the floor last season, per Cleaning the Glass, and he was totally exposed in the playoffs. Flipping Ingram for Leonard levels this team up considerably.
In slotting Barnes, a rapidly ascending star in his own right, into the jack-of-all-trades Scottie Pippen role for which he is most naturally suited, it pairs a true superstar with an All-NBA No. 2, creating what should be a beautiful blend of youth, experience and elite depth. That said, this marriage does not come without real concerns. Let's look at three of them in particular.
This is the most obvious concern and it comes before all else. If Leonard cannot stay on the court consistently, nothing else matters. The good news for the Raptors is that last year with the Los Angeles Clippers, Leonard had the healthiest and arguably best regular season of his career.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
