Kawhi Leonard may not make his official announcement until later tonight at the earliest, or possibly even on the Fourth of July, but the latest reports suggests he'll be running it back with the NBA Champion Toronto Raptors.
During today's episode of Get Up, Jalen Rose described, "What I'm 99% hearing is that Kawhi Leonard will be returning to Toronto and signing a two-year contract. He just completed his eighth season, that's gonna put him at 10 years, that puts him in position to get the largest available maximum deal for a player of his tenure."
ESPN's Mark Jones added, “forget all the noise Kawhi is heading back to Toronto.“
Kawhi is currently in Toronto and the cameras have been following his every move - from the moment he landed to the second he stepped foot in a black SUV en route to the Hazelton Hotel where he is expected to meet with Raptors brass.
Leonard, 27, is eligible to sign a five-year, $190 million supermax contract with the Raptors, while other teams, like the Lakers and Clippers, can offer a max of four-years, $140.6 million. That said, Rose claims he'll be signing a two-year deal, allowing him to become a free agent again in 2021, where he'll be in line for a historic payday.
The three-time All Star averaged 26.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in the regular season while leading Toronto to its first NBA title this past season.