Ahead of the 2026-27 season, Kawhi Leonard agreed to a $115 million extension following his trade from the LA Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. He's committed the foreseeable future to the team he helped lead to their first championship in franchise history in 2019. However, it was Leonard's lone season with the Raptors, as he signed with the Clippers months winning a title.

Leonard looked back on that decision during Raptors' Media Day, per The Athletic's Esfandiar Baraheni.

“I don't go back and think about it too much. The next year was COVID. I kind of made my decision to go to LA based on my family,” Leonard said. “Had a lot of older people in my family that I had the time to spend with before they passed away. That was all great for me. Being able to spend time with that family was great. I don't think about it too much.”

Leonard's decision to join the Clippers brought him close to his family, as the Moreno Valley native grew up an away from Los Angeles.

Why Kawhi Leonard isn't ‘championship chasing' with Raptors

Seven years removed from winning a title, Raptors veteran Kawhi Leonard excited to be back. While many look at his trade from the Clippers as a means to potentially winning a second championship, Leonard made it clear that it wasn't a motive in determining his decision.

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Leonard enjoyed his time with the Raptors and how the city embraced him amid an unforgettable run in 2018-19,

“You know, I’m not really championship chasing trying to find the best team I could win,” Leonard said. “I didn’t want to put on a thousand jerseys and the city took a liking to my family. I took a liking to the city, really enjoyed it. My son was born here and he’s been asking me forever when he’s going to come back. So, now he’s back he’s able to see it rather than me tell him the great stories that happened.”

The Raptors will begin their preseason with a game against the Heat on Saturday.