After guiding the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title, Kawhi Leonard received the key to the city in championship celebrations on Monday.
For now, however, the star and two-time NBA Finals MVP did not say whether he will use the key to hold a door open or to close it and move on.
Leonard spent several days partying with his teammates in Las Vegas and Los Angeles after winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Game 6 of the series against Golden State on Thursday. He returned to Toronto in time to hop on one of five open-top double-decker buses that carried the Raptors team down the parade route.
Leonard, a three-time NBA All-Star and a two-time defensive player of the year, is slated to decline the player option granted to him in his final year of contract and become a free agent. Toronto can offer you a five-year deal and about $ 190 million, one year and about $ 50 million more than any other team will be able to give you.
Before taking the stage Monday for a ceremony in Toronto’s City Hall Square, Leonard said he has not thought about his future. Instead, try to extend the championship celebrations as long as possible.
“I’m enjoying this,” he commented. “This is not the time to stress, I still have time to have a little fun. I’ve just been enjoying this experience. “
After two months of the playoffs, Leonard doesn’t have much time left to have a good time as free agency begins June 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
“I’m going to take my due time,” he noted. “You don’t need many days to know. We’ll see what happens. Once it’s time to decide, we’ll go over the pros and cons. “
Injured in all but nine games of his final season with San Antonio, Leonard was in 60 regular-season games for Toronto and 24 more during the postseason, increasing his minutes on the floor since April.
While winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy was an obvious success, Leonard noted that he has enjoyed every aspect of his season up north, including the varied Canadian weather. AP