Big paydays ahead for NBA champions the Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have about $22 million more dollars coming their way now that they are NBA champs.

The pot will be split among the team, after being taxed to the tune of around 57 per cent. American teams pay less: there’s a 37 per cent federal tax plus a state tax, which would be an additional 13.3 per cent in California had the Warriors won.

That’s on top of the salary players receive, win or lose. For Kawhi Leonard, that represents $190 million over five years, which is the maximum allowed under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Other teams can offer him up to $141 million over four years.

If history is any kind of indicator, there’s a lot more that makes Leonard tick than money. He walked away from a five year deal worth $219 million with the San Antonio Spurs over the handling of a quad injury that kept him on the sidelines.

And there are of course a number of non-monetary offers on the table from Raptors fans who are hoping to keep Leonard in Toronto, including a free condo.

Apparently, Leonard isn’t the only Raptor being courted by other teams. There are reports president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, the man who brought Leonard to Toronto, is about to be offered $10 million a year by the Washington Wizards. He would also be made part owner of the team. That’s double the $5 million he makes now, not including the potential Wizards stake.

Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains

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