Kawhi Leonard signed a two-year, $115 million extension with the Toronto Raptors. On the one hand, it’s less than it could have cost to extend him. On the other hand, it’s still a big extension for a player who has struggled to stay healthy in recent years.
It’s a very on-brand deal for the Raptors, as CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn noted on the Third Apron Podcast.
“The Raptors have a reputation around the NBA simultaneously for being a team that tends to duck the tax but also being a team that weirdly doesn’t really negotiate hard with its own players,” Quinn said. “I know Immanuel Quickley was signed during the Masai Ujiri era. That contract is like the benchmark for overpaid guards right now. Jakob Poeltl…That deal made no sense to anybody.”
He added, “Kawhi might just be awesome. He might just be Kawhi, and you’re fine paying him whatever. I think they had a little bit more room to negotiate, and, given their history, yeah, I’m going to ding them a little big for not negotiating hard with Kawhi when there is a somewhat similar standard out there for a similarly accomplished player who’s roughly as good right now, who got a much better deal from the Rockets.”
The player Quinn is referring to in the last part is Kevin Durant, who signed for $90 million over two years last season. Given the fact that Leonard had made it public that he would only want to sign an extension with the Raptors and Spurs if the Clippers traded him, Toronto had significant leverage.
Leonard, Quickley, and Poeltl all have a chance to vindicate the Raptors next season
Out of Quickley, Poeltl, and Leonard, the latter has the best chance to live up to his new contract in full. If he plays like he did for the Clippers last season and stays healthy, he can make the Raptors a contender for a few years.
Leonard could also be the key to Immanuel Quickley’s best season as a Raptor, which would make his contract look a lot better. Having a high-level scorer like Leonard next to him should open things up for Quickley, giving him more space and more opportunities off the ball.
Poeltl’s contract is the most difficult to justify, but if he is healthier than last season, he can still be a very solid starting center for the Raptors. Considering their backup options, all of which are either undersized or pretty unproven, they could really use his size and rebounding in most matchups, even if Collin Murray-Boyles will close many games.
Still, even if all three play well and especially Quickley’s and Poeltl’s contracts don’t look quite as outrageous anymore, the Raptors are navigating a tough financial reality. RJ Barrett will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, Jamal Shead will hit restricted free agency, and Ja’Kobe Walter has the chance to earn himself a nice rookie extension this season. Barrett, who would cost the most to re-sign, is thus an interesting trade candidate to watch. After all, the Raptors still have some upgrades to make to build a true contender around Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
Add us as a preferred source on Google