Seven years after delivering Toronto its only NBA championship, Kawhi Leonard is back with the Raptors. But his homecoming comes after a chaotic exit from the Los Angeles Clippers and an NBA investigation that cost his former team five first-round picks and a $30-million fine.
Leonard appeared at Toronto’s media day Monday for the first time since returning to the franchise where he spent one memorable season and won the 2019 NBA title. The 35-year-old made clear he would rather talk about basketball than the controversy that delayed his return.
“I know why some of you guys came,” Leonard told reporters. “You want to hear about the investigation.”
Leonard said discussions with the NBA and the players’ union convinced him that it was best to move forward and focus on playing for Toronto.
The NBA ruled earlier this month that Leonard’s contractual dealings with the Clippers circumvented the league’s salary cap.
Los Angeles was stripped of five first-round draft picks and fined $30 nmillion, while team owner Steve Ballmer and two other executives received suspensions ranging from six months to a year. Leonard was fined $700,000.
The investigation centered partly on reports that Leonard had an outside agreement with a now-defunct financial company that could have paid him as much as $28 million without requiring corresponding
services.
With the investigation still underway, the Clippers agreed in June to send Leonard back to Toronto for Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick swap. The NBA formally approved the trade only this month.
Toronto then signed Leonard to a two-year, $115-million contract that includes a player option for the 2028-29 season.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding the deal.
“We wouldn’t have agreed to the deal if we didn’t have a level of confidence to get it done,” Webster said.
Leonard returns to Toronto still playing at an elite level. The seven-time All-Star averaged a career-high 27.9 points, along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals, in 65 starts for the Clippers last season.
His first stint in Toronto lasted just one season, but it produced the biggest moment in franchise history.
Leonard averaged 26.6 points during the 2018-19 regular season before leading the Raptors through the playoffs and to their first NBA championship.
Now, after six seasons with the Clippers and a summer dominated by an NBA investigation, Leonard gets a second run with Toronto. “I just want to focus on basketball again and being a Toronto Raptor,” he said.
