Seven years separate Kawhi Leonard raising the Larry O’Brien trophy during Toronto’s championship parade and the Raptors reunion that few saw coming. After all, the first go-round with Leonard was always considered destined to be a short-term relationship, Josh Lewenberg writes for TSN.
When rumors began to circulate about Leonard’s interest in returning to Toronto, many around the league viewed it as a ploy to use the Raptors’ desire to ascend back to championship relevance in order to leverage a richer extension from the Clippers, Lewenberg writes.
Now he’s back, and for a steeper price than they paid to bring him to Canada the first time. The Raptors consider their medical staff the best in the league and are counting on it to keep Leonard on the court, not just this season, but in the years to come as well, according to Lewenberg.
It’s expected that the two sides will reach a two-year extension that would be worth around $125MM, Michael Grange writes for Sportsnet. It’s a risk, but so was standing pat with a roster that wasn’t good enough to be a contender in the suddenly loaded East, Grange notes. Leonard will force the team to accelerate its timeline, and with it, the development of cornerstone Scottie Barnes, among others. In a way, the Raptors will learn more about their young players than they would’ve with a slow and steady growth plan.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Landry Shamet‘s partnership with the Knicks hardly got off to what announcer Walt Frazier would call “an auspicious start,” with a dislocated shoulder preventing him from getting into a rhythm and climbing the depth chart. His second year with the team had a different feel though, with the journeyman guard hitting six threes and scoring 36 points in his 12th game of the season. It was a huge moment for a player whose NBA career was in serious jeopardy, Jared Schwartz writes for The New York Post. Shamet was the last player to make the Knicks’ 2025/26 roster and was initially considered in competition with Garrison Mathews for the final spot. Through the ups and downs, the Knicks and Shamet stayed closely tied, and the relationship resulted in a championship and a new four-year, $24MM deal for the veteran wing.
- The Nets‘ frontcourt has been in flux this offseason. They’re sending out Nic Claxton in a trade that will return three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, and they’ve agreed to sign Moritz Wagner to a two-year contract in free agency. It remains to be seen what it all means for second-year power forward Danny Wolf, who – prior to the Wagner deal – seemed poised to step into the backup five role behind the returning Day’Ron Sharpe, according to Brian Lewis of the Post. Wolf has spent the early part of the offseason working on getting stronger in order to battle with the big men of the league. “Starting with my body getting stronger or getting quicker, getting my ankle right. And just even playing now, I’ve never felt more in control or on balance or stronger,” the 22-year-old said. “And then with that, I’d say my finishing and my 3-point consistency. And I’m shooting the best I’ve shot it, and I feel like I’m finishing the best I’ve finished. So, just gotta keep at it. But I know I’m nowhere near where I want to be.” Wolf developed a good relationship with Jordi Fernandez in his rookie year, as the Nets’ head coach valued his versatility and played him all over the floor. It remains to be seen how he’ll be used in the new-look rotation.
- The fact that the Knicks hold the draft rights to James Nnaji, who played for them in the 2025 Summer League, didn’t prevent the 21-year-old big man from playing at Baylor University last season in what turned out to be a trailblazing move. Now, Nnaji is set to spend another season playing college basketball, having committed to George Mason University for 2026/27, DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony reports (via Twitter). Nnaji struggled to make an impact for Baylor last season, averaging just 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game.
