Will Kawhi Leonard come back to the Toronto Raptors?

The Toronto Raptors are looking down the barrel of a decision they already made in 2018, one that brought them their first and only championship.

Yes. Kawhi Leonard could become available for the Toronto Raptors, yet again.

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As per Jake Fischer, while Kawhi wants to stay in California with the Clippers, the only two teams with which the Klaw has any interest in signing with long term would be the San Antonio Spurs, or the Toronto Raptors. While Clippers’ management does not want to say goodbye to Leonard, the 34-year-old forward desires an extension, which if he did not get, would put him in the position of being an unrestricted free agent in the 2027-28 season, able to go where he pleases.

This means that the Clippers are either going to pony up, or seek a sign and trade with either of the Raptors or Spurs, barring either an excellent package emerging, or Kawhi’s willingness to go elsewhere.

Josh Lewenberg brought the situation down to Earth with his own reality check earlier today. By increasing his demand, Kawhi inherently gains more bargaining power with whatever organization wants to sign him to a contract extension.

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Clearly, Leonard has shown himself to be relatively uninterested in staying in Toronto long-term, seeking long-term residence in his native California. While people and circumstances certainly change, the reality is that even if Kawhi is willing to come back to Toronto for more than a year, we’d not be his first choice to come to. While he left acrimoniously from San Antonio, Texas is a lot closer and more familiar to Leonard than Ontario, and the circumstances from which Kawhi left the Spurs (other than his nagging injury history) are very different.

However, while Kawhi would slot in well on either of the Raptors or the Spurs, the Raptors could potentially offer a more attractive package for the Clippers, who, while retooling their roster, appear to desire to stay competitive. With Darius Garland already leading Los Angeles at point guard, the Spurs’ glut of ball handlers would be harder to trade from. Even a player as high profile as Stephon Castle or De’Aaron…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kawhi-leonard-come-back-toronto-215343305.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-25 21:53:00

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