The Toronto Raptors are reportedly willing to “eagerly offer” Kawhi Leonard a five-year, max-level extension worth around $190 million on July 1, or any other deal he is interested in, simply seeing no risk in it, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
Alex McKechnie, Toronto’s director of sports science, who once kept Shaquille O’Neal healthy during his years with the Los Angeles Lakers, has given Leonard a clean bill of health, despite missing all but nine of the regular season games when he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs last season.
There were whispers last year that Leonard could have played through the pain, ones that were amplified when Tony Parker said his own quad injury (a full tear) was “100 times worse” than Leonard’s.
“He was injured,” Green said of Leonard. “Being injured has nothing to do with quitting. Quitting is if you are healthy and you sit out. He was hurt, and everyone in the San Antonio organization knew that.”
Given what they've seen this season, the Raptors are willing to throw everything including the kitchen sink to net Leonard's services for the long haul, likely knowing they face a demon-like threat with the LA Clippers anxiously waiting to make an offer, knowing Leonard badly wants the comforts of playing at home.
Leonard has already missed 10 games this season, stemming from injury management to actual injuries through the first half of the season, but the Raptors seem utterly convinced that his quad issue is done and over with after only 32 games of sample size.
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