Following the controversy over illegal salary payments at his former club, Kawhi Leonard has signed a new multi-million contract.
According to the well-informed ESPN insider Shams Charania, Leonard is set to earn US$115 million (around €100 million) over the next two years with the Toronto Raptors, to whom the 35-year-old is returning after seven years.
The deal, which brought Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers to the former Canadian champions, had already been announced by both teams in the summer. However, the NBA initially blocked it, as the Clippers were alleged to have circumvented the salary cap rules in order to pay Leonard.
A harsh penalty for his former club
Payments worth millions from a sponsor to Leonard, without him having provided any service in return, had come to light. Following a thorough investigation by external lawyers, the NBA imposed a harsh penalty on the Clippers. The Clippers were forced to forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a fine of 30 million dollars. There was no transfer ban.
For Leonard, this marks a return to the Raptors, whom he had led to the first championship in the club’s history in June 2019. The small forward had previously also won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. In that team, which included veterans such as Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, the forward – as in Toronto – was voted Most Valuable Player of the Finals.
He is regarded as one of the most talented and versatile players in the NBA, but has repeatedly missed many games due to injury throughout his career.
