Raptors Near Kawhi Extension After Clippers Deal

The Toronto Raptors are nearing a contract extension with newly acquired forward Kawhi Leonard, according to multiple reports Thursday morning, with Leonard eligible for up to a two-year deal worth about $126 million. TSN cited NBA reporter Jake Fischer on the talks after Toronto completed the trade that brought Leonard back from the Los Angeles Clippers for a second tour in the city where he won a title.

The Raptors acquired Leonard on Monday for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap, and two second-rounders. The original framework dated to June 30 and sat while the NBA investigated Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for salary-cap circumvention. The league punished Los Angeles with lost first-round picks and a $30 million fine and suspended Ballmer for one year. Leonard was fined $700,000 and said he accepted responsibility for lapses in his circle while focusing on a clean slate in Toronto.

What the extension would mean

An extension in that range would keep Leonard under contract through 2028-29. Reports describe advanced talks, not a signed deal. Leonard is 35 and averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season while making the All-Star team in his final Clippers year. Eligibility up to roughly $126 million is the ceiling fans should track, not a guarantee of every dollar.

Fantasy managers drafting Raptors pieces should treat Leonard as Toronto's clear usage magnet once healthy, without inventing per-game floors before training camp minutes land. The news today is the extension path and the completed trade, not a box score. Scottie Barnes remains the long-term centerpiece Leonard has already said he wants to help rather than replace.

Homecoming stakes

Leonard won a title and Finals MVP in his first Toronto stop in 2019, including the Game 7 buzzer-beater over Philadelphia that still defines a generation of Raptors fans. Closing an extension would lock the basketball side of a saga that spent the summer in the league office and finally cleared when Ballmer accepted the penalties. For Raptors fans, the basketball story finally outranks the investigation timeline. That is the shift Thursday morning's reporting captures.

The sourced stamp is nearing agreement, eligible up to two years and about $126 million, trade completed Monday after the Clippers investigation. No invented signature. No invented average annual value beyond the reported ceiling. No invented opening-night lineup.

Kawhi is back in Toronto. The next stamp fans want is the extension itself.