Toronto Raptors signed Kawhi Leonard to a two-year, $115 million contract extension that starts in 2027-28, with an option for a third guaranteed year. This deal is slightly less than the maximum salary he could have earned elsewhere, showing Leonard’s willingness to sacrifice some money to stay with Toronto. The Raptors gain financial flexibility from this agreement but face the risk of signing a 35-year-old player who has had injury concerns in recent seasons.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Kawhi Leonard, aged 35, signed a two-year contract extension worth US$115 million with the Toronto Raptors, including an option for the 2028-29 season. This deal is under the maximum $126.6 million he could have earned and follows a June trade agreement from the Los Angeles Clippers that was finalized only recently due to NBA salary-cap investigations. Leonard had previously helped the Raptors win their sole NBA title in the 2018-19 season before leaving as a free agent for the Clippers. The extension solidifies his commitment to Toronto through at least 2029, despite potential health risks associated with long-term contracts for older players.
Written for “Kawhi Leonard Signs With Raptors” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
The Raptors patiently waited months to obtain Kawhi Leonard and wasted no time in locking him up for years, saving themselves some money on the way.
asserted
Raptors → wait → way
Toronto and the 35-year-old Leonard have agreed to a two-year, $115 million (all figures U.S.) contract extension that kicks in to start the 2027-28 season.
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that → agree → season
It also contains a guaranteed third year at Leonard’s option, according to Star sources granted anonymity because the move isn’t yet official.
uncertain
move → contain → anonymity
Leonard could have signed a maximum with a team for two years at $126 million, and he also waived a $7 million trade kicker to facilitate his trade to the Raptors that became official last week.
uncertain
that → sign → Raptors
Whether a maximum at $126 million existed on the open market is unknowable but Leonard did take a bit of a salary hit to re-join the Raptors after leading Toronto to an NBA title in 2019.
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Leonard → exist → 2019
The financial aspect gives the Raptors some salary flexibility in the next couple of seasons — it’s unclear how much and how important it will be until the current roster performs — but the deal does end a long saga to return Leonard to Toronto after he left as a free agent in 2019.
uncertain
he → give → 2019
The trade with the Clippers — Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft picks — was agreed to in July but put on hold while a league investigation into Los Angeles salary contravention dragged on.
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investigation → agree → contravention
The year-long probe finally ended last month with the Clippers forfeiting five draft picks, fined $30 million and their owner and heads of basketball and business operations suspended.
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owner → end → basketball
Leonard was forced to repay $700,000 in ill-gotten gains.
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Leonard → force → gains
But it also allowed the trade to be finalized and Leonard became a Raptor again last week; the two sides have been talking off and on about an extension since July.
It is an inherent gamble to sign any 35-year-old pro athlete to a contract extension because of long-term health issues and risks that come with that, but it’s even more of a gamble given Leonard’s career arc.
He played in 65 of 82 games last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 32.1 minutes per game and a career-high 27.9 points but he was able to play only 37 games in the 2024-25 season when he averaged 31.9 minutes per game.
He logged 34.3 minutes a game in a 68-game 2023-24, after playing just 52 games in 2022-23.
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He → allow → 2022
He missed the entire 2021-22 season due to knee surgery.
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He → miss → surgery
One saving grace for the Raptors is they have a proven history of keeping Leonard healthy and available through the hardest part of a championship season.
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they → save → season
After using what’s now known as “load management” during the 2018-19 season, the Raptors got 60 regular season games from him (at an average of 34 minutes a night, third most of his 14 NBA years) and he paid them back by a dominant run through 24 playoff games.
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he → use → games
“This city took a liking to my family, and I took a liking to this city,” Leonard said in a YouTube video posted by “Open Gym,” the team’s sanctioned documentary-style outlet.
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Leonard → take → Gym
“I really liked it.
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I → like → it
My son was born here, and he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back.
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he → bear → me
Now he’s back, and he’s able to see it rather than me tell him the great stories that happened.
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that → ’ → stories
The Raptors hope to partner Leonard with Scottie Barnes to form one of the best defensive wing duos in the league.
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Raptors → hope → league
Leonard is a two-time NBA defensive player of the game, Barnes was second-team all-defence last season and the two, on paper, are as formidable a tandem as there is in the league.
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two → be → league
It’s a large part of why Leonard set his eyes solely on Toronto when it became clear his time with the Clippers was coming to an end.
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time → ’ → end
“I think we’ve got a great chance,” Leonard said on the “Open Gym” segment.
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Leonard → think → segment
“This group played great last year.
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group → play → ?
I watched them a lot.
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I → watch → them
“You’ve got Scottie Barnes, (he) showed his talents over the past two, three years.
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he → get → years
He’s become an all-star.
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He → become → ?
He’s going to be a problem this next coming year.
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He → go → ?
I love the young guy (Collin Murray-Boyles).
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I → love → guy
He brings a lot of energy to the team, shows relentlessness on the court, not scared of nobody.”
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He → bring → nobody
The Aporia
