​INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 07: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts to a play during the first quarter of the NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at Intuit Dome on April 07, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) GettyThe Toronto Raptors are excited about their major trade acquiring Kawhi Leonard ahead of the regular season. However, not everyone in NBA circles is optimistic about Leonard being worth the massive contract extension they gave him today. Toronto extended Kawhi for two more seasons after this one worth a total of $115 million. ESPN insider Tim MacMahon revealed that people around the league don’t view that as a good contract for the Raptors. MacMahon revealed the following on NBA Today: “[Kawhi] is a guy who’s played 60+ games just three times in the last nine years … $115M for a player with those durability issues, in his mid-30s… that is a massive contract. That’s not a discount deal. A discount deal is Kevin Durant— 2YR, $90M extension. This is $25M more than that.” Leonard is coming off his healthiest season in years for the Los Angeles Clippers, but it is nearly impossible to expect that again. Toronto could easily see this move fail if Kawhi misses 30+ per games per season, and it harms their chances of success. A stacked Eastern Conference with great depth could see the Raptors in the play-in if Leonard just suffers one injury that takes him out for a month or two.  Why Kevin Durant Was Used To Criticize Kawhi Leonard The contract of Durant was mentioned due to being a more reliable player than Leonard as two aging legends who play the same position. Even when Durant runs into issues like the social media burner story, the Houston Rockets can trust him to be a consistent elite scorer rarely missing time. Toronto does have Scottie Barnes as a co-star for Leonard, but losing one of the two could destroy their season due to the limited depth. MacMahon referenced that Kawhi making $25 million more than Durant led to some people within the NBA scratching their heads. The Raptors did this due to Leonard’s past of winning Toronto their only NBA Championship during his one season there. Kawhi is still a hero to Raptors fans after leading flawed co-stars Kyle Lowry and a young Pascal Siakam to the dream scenario. The move was made to both improve the team’s ceiling and reward fans with someone they love. Kawhi Leonard Has Immense Pressure This Season The offseason featured many massive NBA stories, like LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo finally getting traded after all these years. However, Leonard became the biggest story due to the shocking punishment for breaking league rules. The Clippers got stripped of five first round draft pi