Kawhi Leonard Signs Two-Year, $115 Million Extension with Raptors

In 2019, Kawhi Leonard delivered the only championship in Toronto Raptors history and left that summer. Seven years later, he's back—and this time he's staying: he has agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension plus a player option for the 2028-29 season, according to Shams Charania.

A week after landing

The speed of the move is striking. The trade that brought him to Toronto closed on the 15th, after being frozen for two and a half months: the agreement between the Clippers and Raptors dated June 30 and was stalled by an NBA investigation into salary cap circumvention.

That investigation resulted in one of the harshest penalties in recent decades for the Clippers—five first-round picks, a $30 million fine, and a one-year suspension of Steve Ballmer—and Leonard paying $700,000 in restitution, with no suspension and no contract nullification. The latter is what allowed the deal to move forward.

Toronto sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap, and two second-round picks. Now they're locking in the player for whom they paid that price.

The 2025-26 numbers

The statistics explain the investment. Leonard posted the best season of his Clippers tenure with 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 65 games, shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three.

He was selected for his seventh All-Star appearance and led his team in scoring. At 35 years old, those numbers belong to a player in his prime.

His résumé is rounded out by the rest: two championships, two Finals MVP awards, two Defensive Player of the Year honors, seven All-NBA selections and seven All-Defensive selections, plus being named to the league's 75th anniversary team.

What Toronto is taking on

The contract ties him to the franchise through 2028-29 if he exercises the option, when he'll be 37 years old. It's a considerable bet on a player whose injury history has shaped much of the past decade, though last season he played 65 games—his best availability mark in years.

For the Raptors, there's also a symbolic component. In 2019 they won the championship with him and lost it immediately after. This time they've paid dearly to get him back and wanted to ensure it doesn't happen again.