Could Kawhi Leonard's impending free agency be much ado about nothing?

We obviously won't know for sure until July, but True Hoop is reporting that Leonard may end up returning to the Raptors on a short-term deal. True Hoop's sources come from “plugged in” people associated with players and the league, but not the Raptors themselves.

Of course, the general consensus all season long has been that Leonard's stop in Toronto would be a brief one before he ultimately bolts for the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer, but you have to wonder if the Raptors' run to the finals has changed his mind.

While players love to be close to home and love to be in big markets, winning sometimes takes priority over everything else, and if Leonard feels he has an opportunity to win long term with the Raptors, he may very well bite the bullet and stay.

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Now, the short-term deal thing is interesting here, because it could mean that Leonard is considering signing a classic one-plus-one type of deal, where he gets one full season and then a player option for a second.

This signifies that Leonard is thinking about sticking around for one more season and seeing how things shake out next year before officially committing to Toronto long term.

With Kyle Lowry clearly declining and with the aging Marc Gasol coming with a player option of his own this summer, the Raptors could look awfully different in two years.

Regardless, this is definitely big news.