Report: Leonard set for $115 million deal as he returns to Toronto Raptors

An agreement was reached on Tuesday for basketball star Kawhi Leonard to return to the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, citing his sources. The two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP will sign a new two-year contract with an option to extend it for a third season.

According to Charania's sources, Leonard will earn $115 million over the two years, roughly 100 million euros. The sides have also agreed on a player option covering the 2028-2029 season.

Background: NBA investigation

A deal to send Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Raptors had already been reached in late June, but it was put on hold after the NBA opened an investigation into a possible violation of salary cap rules. As a result, the league sanctioned both the Clippers organization and Leonard himself. Team owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from his duties for one year, business operations president Gillian Zucker was also suspended for a year, and basketball operations president Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. The team forfeited five first-round draft picks in the NBA drafts from 2029 through 2033 and was fined $30 million. Leonard himself was fined $700,000.

The original, halted deal would have sent Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick and five draft picks to the Clippers in return for Leonard.

Career background

Los Angeles-born Leonard won an NBA championship and was named Finals MVP with the Raptors in 2019, having achieved the same feat with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Later in 2019, as a free agent, he chose to join the Clippers, where he spent the following seven seasons. Last season he averaged 27.9 points per game across 65 regular-season appearances.