A month after his trade request went public, Kawhi Leonard was finally dealt from the Spurs in a blockbuster that sent him north of the border to Toronto along with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first-round pick.
The move was a stunner, given that talks seemed all but as the Spurs weren’t getting the offers back they wanted for Leonard. However, at some point the Raptors were willing to create the package around DeRozan and San Antonio couldn’t pass up the chance to get an All-Star under contract for multiple years in return.
The Spurs side of things is the least interesting part of this equation because the expectation is DeRozan will play well for San Antonio and they will continue to be a playoff contender. In Toronto, however, there are serious questions about Leonard joining the squad, particularly the issue of him apparently not wanting to be there.
There were multiple reports, beginning with ESPN’s Chris Haynes, that Leonard didn’t want to play in Toronto. That was followed up by a report from Sporting News’ Sean Deveney that Leonard could potentially consider sitting out the season, but that enters some very murky waters and could lead to some fascinating issues at play regarding the CBA.
As ESPN’s Zach Lowe notes, the Raptors were well aware of this threat possibly coming, but also knew that in the absolute worst case scenario, they can fine him his entire salary.
The Raptors didn’t care. They know any threat of failing to report is probably empty, since they can fine Leonard for each practice and game he misses — up to his full $20.1 million salary.
Not only that, but as Sean Highkin pointed out on Twitter, there is a clause regarding holdouts and a player withholding his services from a team he is under contract with that is extremely penalizing to the player if they are entering a free agency year.
https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1019656654252470272
So the Raptors can basically dare Leonard to sit out the season and he’ll have no choice but to report before 30 days into the season, because if he does not, the Raptors will have control over where he goes next. Given that most assume Leonard is trying to force his way to L.A., it would be counterintuitive to sit out, lose your free agency, and be at the mercy of Toronto to let you leave rather than simply playing out the year and then doing what you want.
Leonard’s quad injury leaves the door slightly ajar for him to not be cleared physically to play, but as for him simply sitting out the season it seems all but impossible that he would take that risk of forfeiting his free agency next summer.
