An Absurd Ask From Ex-Raptors Star Kawhi Leonard's Camp Involving the Maple Leafs Has Leaked
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy | Imagn images
A new report has surfaced that Kawhi Leonard's camp had an absurd ask involving the Maple Leafs during his 2019 contract negotiations with the Toronto Raptors.
After helping the Raptors to their first NBA Championship in franchise history in 2019, fans were hopeful that he would re-sign and help the team defend their title. Unfortunately, Leonard ultimately decided to sign with the LA Clippers.
While Kawhi Leonard has stayed mostly out of the public eye in his hometown, earlier this week it was revealed that he was reportedly paid $28M by an environmental start-up Aspiration as a way to circumvent the salary cap.
With those reports released, the Clippers and Leonard are currently under investigation by the NBA for salary cap circumvention.
With Leonard and the Clippers under investigation, a new report in the Toronto Star by Bruce Arthur revealed that during negotiations with the Raptors in 2019, one member of Leonard's camp actually sought an ownership stake in the Maple Leafs.
"Sources in Toronto say, in one meeting, Uncle Dennis asked for an ownership stake in the Toronto Maple Leafs, because that way he wasn't asking for a piece of the Raptors," wrote Arthur. "It was politely explained to him that both teams were owned by the same company, and that the request was impossible."
It wasn't only the ownership that was asked about, according to Arthur, as other conditions included a private jet to use as he pleased.
As the investigation into his side deal with Aspiration continues, it will be interesting to see if there is further review into the asks of Leonard's camp of MLSE and the Raptors in 2019, and if anything else comes out about the original negotiations.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 7 | 777 ANSWERS An Absurd Ask From Ex-Raptors Star Kawhi Leonard's Camp Involving the Maple Leafs Has Leaked Do you think MLSE should have given Kawhi Leonard's camp a small stake in the Maple Leafs in exchange for signing a max-term deal to stay in Toronto? | ||
| Yes | 174 | 22.4 % |
| No | 603 | 77.6 % |
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