Kawhi Leonard reportedly willing to give up millions to play for Toronto Raptors

Kawhi Leonard really wants to play for the Toronto Raptors, and he reportedly isn't afraid to leave money on the table to do so. 

The LA Clippers and Raptors finalized Leonard's trade to Toronto on Monday, weeks after the NBA gave its final ruling on the cap circumvention saga. That means that Leonard will be able to join the Raptors in Quebec City when training camp gets underway on Sept. 29. 

Leonard is set to make a whopping $50.3 million this upcoming season, which is at the upper limit of what Toronto can afford with their cap situation. However, the NBA superstar was also set to earn an additional $7.44 million added to that cap hit from a "trade kicker" in his current contract. 

The Clippers would need to pay that, but it would have been added to Leonard's cap hit, which would be hard for Toronto to fit in. According to Sportsnet's Blake Murphy, Leonard will be waiving that money in order to help make the numbers work cap-wise for the Raptors. 

"Kawhi Leonard is waiving his entire trade kicker, per a source," Murphy reported. "Was a near-necessity, cap-math wise, unless Raptors expanded the deal."

Kawhi Leonard is waiving his entire trade kicker, per a source.

Was a near-necessity, cap-math wise, unless Raptors expanded the deal.

Most of the details within here still hold. Raptors hard-capped, likely to carry just 13 to start the season (or 14 with Bradley converted). https://t.co/cX35RGxFw7

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) September 14, 2026

The Raptors are able to handle Leonard's incoming cap hit due to shipping off both Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram in the deal. Those two had a combined cap hit of $47.1 million, just under what Leonard is set to make this upcoming season. 

Reports over the past few months have indicated that Leonard wants to ink a contract extension with Toronto. It's unclear what that contract could look like and if it will include a cap hit in the range of his current deal. 

Toronto will have to be careful about how they navigate their cap situation after acquiring the two-time NBA champion. As it stands, the team is hard-capped, sitting just below the first apron line of $209 million.

That could force the team to start with as few as 13 players on the roster to start the new season.