Kawhi Leonard's mind looks to be made up.
The Los Angeles Clippers superstar, whose name has popped up in trade rumours in recent days, is reportedly only willing to sign a long-term extension with the Toronto Raptors should he get traded, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Monday.
"My understanding is that Toronto is the only place he would commit to on a long-term extension if traded outside Los Angeles," Charania said.
Leonard, as it stands, is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He carries a $50.3-million salary for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
He is coming off one of his most productive — and healthiest — campaigns, averaging a career-best 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals on 50.5/38.7/89.2 per cent shooting splits in 65 appearances. He finished tied for seventh in MVP voting and earned the seventh all-NBA selection (second-team) of his career.
Rumours of mutual interest between Leonard and the Raptors have been floating around in recent days, with Sportsnet's Michael Grange confirming that Toronto has discussed the possibility of a trade to bring him back.
While it's also been reported that Leonard's preference is to remain in Los Angeles, the Clippers don't necessarily feel the same way, with Charania saying that "at the crux of this, the Clippers are moving in a younger direction."
Grange added that Leonard is unlikely to receive an extension from the Clippers and the team is open to finding him a new home.
“The Clippers aren’t going to commit to anything with him, so it looks like he’s trying to strong-arm his way out of there,” a source told Grange.
The Raptors traded for Leonard back in 2018, sending Jakob Poeltl and DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs, sparking the team's eventual 2019 championship run. The eventual Finals MVP averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 24 playoff games that season.
However, he left later that summer, heading to his hometown of Los Angeles to join forces with Paul George on the Clippers. Over his eight seasons in L.A., though he has made the playoffs six times in eight years, the Clippers have made the Conference Finals only once and left empty-handed.
