Report: Kawhi Leonard seriously considering staying with Raptors

Kawhi Leonard is set to officially decline his player option to become a free agent, and the Toronto Raptors may have done enough to convince him to stay.

According to Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Leonard will officially decline his player option, as expected. However, sources told Haynes that Leonard is “seriously considering” re-signing with Toronto despite widespread interest from elsewhere.

The Raptors have one major advantage, as they are the only team that can offer Leonard a five year, $190 million supermax contract. He also had a year to get familiar with the city and won an NBA title as the team’s unquestioned leader, adding another Finals MVP trophy to his cabinet.

The belief has been that Leonard would like to return to his native California, likely with the Los Angeles Clippers. However, they may not be the favorite after all after his wildly successful year in Canada.