The Toronto Raptors are two wins away from a spot in the 2019 NBA Finals, but despite the team’s perennial success, the Raptors’ future is uncertain ahead of a pivotal offseason. Two-way superstar Kawhi Leonard will become a free agent this summer, and it has long been speculated that Leonard could head home to Los Angeles to join either the Clippers or the Lakers.
The Raptors knew they could potentially lose Leonard when they traded away DeMar DeRozan last year, and the team does have the advantage of being able to offer Leonard a 5-year deal worth $190 million, around $50 million more than any other team can offer.
Local businesses around Toronto are now offering to sweeten the deal for Leonard. Several restaurants have placed #KawineAndDine stickers in their windows, with the promise that if Leonard remains in Toronto, he’ll be able to eat free for life.
You might be thinking that such an offer is worthless for Leonard, who may finish his career with more than $200 million in career earnings… and you’d probably be right. Even if Kawhi were to receive $200 worth of free food from Toronto restaurants every day for a year, he’d end up saving around 33 percent of a single game check from this season.
