Kawhi Hires SLASH Sports Agent for Raptors Extension
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- Kawhi Leonard hired Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports as his new agent to oversee extension talks with the Raptors, ending the arrangement with Mitch Frankel and his uncle/business adviser Dennis Robertson who previously ran all his affairs, including his three-year Clippers extension signed in 2024.
- Trade terms: The Clippers agreed June 30 to send Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks — a deal that becomes official Monday.
- Leonard told suitors he would only sign an extension with Toronto, the team he led to its 2019 championship, causing Minnesota and Detroit to drop their trade pursuits entirely.
- Leonard is eligible to sign a two-year, $123.7 million extension with Toronto, and sources say he envisions ending his career there; he has one season and $50.3 million remaining on his current contract.
- Historical milestone: His return makes him the 53rd player in NBA history to win a championship, play elsewhere, then reunite with his former team — and the first of those 52 returnees to have averaged 20+ points per game immediately before the reunion.
- Clippers under NBA investigation over whether they circumvented the salary cap via Leonard's $28 million Aspiration endorsement, a green banking firm that also had a $300 million, 23-year deal with the team; Leonard and Robertson have been interviewed by investigators.
- Raptors stability: Leonard cited the franchise's largely intact front office — now led by executive vice president Bobby Webster — as a reason he was open to the deal, alongside believing Toronto can contend in the East and his fondness for the city.
Why it matters: Leonard's exclusive preference for Toronto effectively eliminated rival bidders Minnesota and Detroit from the trade market, handing the Raptors leverage in negotiations and securing their franchise cornerstone on terms he himself dictated. The overlapping NBA investigation into the Clippers — in which Leonard has already been interviewed — creates a legal overhang tied to his $28 million Aspiration endorsement deal that could shadow his Raptors negotiations.
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