Kawhi Leonard’s Camp’s $10 Million Demand to Stay in Toronto Revealed Amidst Clippers Scandal

Kawhi Leonard did not expect his name to be dragged through the mud 6 years after signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, weeks after winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors.

It so happens that after his run to give the franchise its first ever NBA title, he had three options in front of him. One was to stay back with the Raptors and start a new legacy there.

Both his other options were focused on a return home, as both the Los Angeles teams courted the then-two-time champion. The Lakers knew they could use LeBron James as leverage while trying to court Leonard, but eventually, that option faded away.

They became the outside bet as the Steve Ballmer-led Los Angeles Clippers had a good chance at landing the 6′ 7″ forward. Before he agreed to sign with the Clippers, the Raptors tried their level best to convince him to stay.

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star revealed in his article that Kawhi Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, had made a list of specific demands to the Raptors. The list of demands included:

It included a trade for (Paul) George.
It included a slice of ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which Robertson was told was impossible.
Robertson asked for ownership stakes in outside companies.
The Raptors were told they needed to match at least $10 million per year in extra sponsorship income.

Bruce Arthur’s sources revealed

The author goes on to add that Robertson made it clear to the Raptors’ ownership that the $10 million sponsorship deal would be a no-show contract. That means his NBA star nephew would not have to do anything for that money, similar to how the Aspiration deal happened.

Kawhi Leonard’s legacy will take a hit if NBA finds evidence

Ever since the first allegations came to light, Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer has been trying to insinuate that he was scammed by Aspiration. Fellow NBA owner Mark Cuban also towed that line, believing Ballmer might not have had anything to do with the endorsement deal.

However, these new revelations indicate that Kawhi Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, had made similar demands to the Toronto Raptors ownership if he were to stay and defend their title.

Only after owner Larry Tanenbaum realized that agreeing to these demands would result in grave offenses, they backed out. The Clippers, on the other hand, have agreed to those demands.

Since the nature of the demands is similar, it adds further evidence that Leonard’s camp wanted additional benefits, which only the Clippers accepted.

Those benefits seem to be ways to circumvent the salary cap, which, if proven, will lead the NBA to penalize both the Clippers and the star forward. Even though there are concerns that a legitimate paper trail might not exist, the current CBA contains language that allows circumstantial evidence to be used.

Pablo Torre and his team have fought off claims of incorrect journalism, and with more proof coming to light, it is possible the NBA might work with whatever evidence is available.

That could have a detrimental effect on Kawhi Leonard’s legacy. The embarrassment could force him to retire, and the Clippers will probably face extremely harsh punishments for their part in this scandal.

Kawhi Leonard did not want to play with LeBron James

In the midst of the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, the Los Angeles Lakers were also looking to land the star forward. Pairing him with LeBron James and Anthony Davis would have confirmed their status as legitimate championship threats.

Leonard didn’t want to play with LeBron James, so the Lakers were a third wheel in the sweepstakes.

Bruce Arthur’s revealed

The article revealed that the San Diego State alum wanted either the Toronto Raptors or the Los Angeles Clippers to trade for Paul George. He had another preferred playing partner, Jimmy Butler, who decided Miami was his next destination.

This left James as the outside bet, and as is evident from this article, Leonard did not want to play with him. At the time, many believed The Klaw took this decision to focus on his own legacy rather than play second fiddle to the Lakers’ superstar.

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