Boost For Raptors? Kawhi Leonard Buys House In Toronto: Report

While it's not something that should be excessively looked into, Kawhi Leonard buying a house may be good news for the Toronto Raptors.

NBA TV analyst Peter Yannopoulos tweeted Sunday that Leonard had bought, not rented, a house in Toronto, giving hope to Raptors fans that it may signal a stay beyond 2019.

Leonard of course, joined the Raptors earlier this summer after wanting out of the San Antonio Spurs. However, it was well-documented that he wanted to depart for a team in his native Los Angeles with the Lakers being the favorites.

The Lakers even began discussions with the Spurs but with Leonard still having one year left on his deal, were put off by San Antonio's excessive demands and seemingly decided to wait until 2019 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

It is why the Raptors made an extremely risky deal, especially as they traded their own star player in DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick in exchange for the 28-year-old and Danny Green.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri, though, is confident he can persuade Leonard to stay while the Raptors have also taken steps in trying to keep him.

Last month, they added former Spurs staffer and Leonard's friend Jeremy Castleberry to the coaching team. In addition, they can offer him a five-year, $190 million contract if he decides to stay, standing to make less in a four-year deal if he joins another team in free agency.

And with the news of Leonard buying a house, the thinking is that if he was planning to leave next year, he would have opted to rent instead.

However, as mentioned, it should be taken with a pinch of salt as Yahoo's Kyle Cantlon explains below:

"It is a slight deviation from the norm, however, as players in Kawhi’s contract situation, on a new team just one year out from free agency, will often just rent a condo or house before figuring out where they’ll be hanging their hat permanently."

"That’s kind of notable, I guess, but it really doesn’t mean anything or signify any decision on Kawhi’s part to commit to Toronto for the future — it just means the dude is about that sweet, sweet paper. Why would a Very Rich Person rent anything, even for a year, if they had the financial means to get in to one of North America’s steamiest real estate markets during a temporary downswing?"

What should be viewed more positively though, is the fact that Leonard is reportedly keeping an "open mind" about staying in Toronto, said San Antonio Express News writer Jabari Young last month.

Young also personally believes reaching the Eastern Conference Finals would persuade the former Spurs star in staying, and with the Raptors having a 25 percent chance of reaching the NBA Finals, let alone the Conference Finals, Toronto have a good shot.