The Kawhi Leonard trade between the Raptors and Clippers was finally completed on Monday, after they agreed to it at the end of June. Now that's out of the way, and Toronto doesn't have to worry about the forward's contract being voided or him being suspended because of the cap circumvention investigation, it's time to move on to the next order of business — paying him.
Leonard is eligible to sign a two-year extension worth up to $126 million, locking him down through the 2028-29 season. While it's a necessary move for Toronto, given that he's entering the final season of his current contract, paying an oft-injured, aging star that kind of money is a massive risk. Just ask Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid is on one of the worst contracts in the league, as he signed a three-year, $193 million maximum extension with the Sixers two years ago. Mind you, Philadelphia agreed to pay him that after a season in which he played just 39 games, but after giving Paul George a four-year, $212 million maximum deal in free agency, the front office felt it was necessary.
Since Embiid signed that extension, he's played 57 games across the past couple of seasons. Meanwhile, George played 78 games in his two years in Philly.
Raptors expected to extend Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is coming off a season with the Clippers in which he played 65 games, the second time in three years he played at least that many games in a season (he played 68 in 2023-24). It's similar to the position the Sixers were in with George, as he played 74 games in his final season in LA, which made Philly comfortable enough to pay him a max deal, banking on that availability trend continuing.
The Raptors are all in on Kawhi, sending the Clippers a package that includes two unprotected first-round picks because they believe he can help them win another title. In Leonard's first stint with the team, time was ticking because he was on an expiring deal, but now that he wants to extend with Toronto, that's still the case, just because of his age. He turned 35 in June.
Kawhi isn't getting any younger, which only makes injuries more of a risk, as we've unfortunately seen with Embiid and George, who have spent more time off the court than on it since the Sixers signed them. The latter's case was a little different, as he served a 25-game suspension, but he still dealt with several injuries.
The Raptors don't want to see a similar scenario play out with Leonard, but they can't guarantee that it won't. They can justify giving him a big payday at his age by winning a title, but as the Sixers know, that's a lot easier said than done.
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