8 years! After waiting a full 8 years! DeRozan is expected to team up with Leonard.

Recently, the Raptors sent Ingram + Dick + 2 first-round picks + 1 first-round pick swap + 2 second-round picks to the Clippers to bring Leonard back.

This guy previously played in Toronto during the 18-19 season and led the team to win its first championship in franchise history. This time around, he doesn't plan to run away and intends to retire as a Raptor.

Leonard, who is currently on a contract expiring next summer, will negotiate an extension with the Raptors. Salary expert Bobby Marks commented: Leonard is eligible to sign a two-year, $123.7 million extension with the Raptors this summer.

It is reported that Leonard has hired Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports as his new agent, replacing the previous agents Mitch Frankel and his uncle Dennis Robertson, to lead the extension negotiations with the Raptors. Over the past year, Gaines has been working closely with Leonard as a business attorney.

Leonard is now 35 years old, but remains a top superstar in the league with elite skills on both ends of the floor. Last season, he played 65 games for the Clippers, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals over 32 minutes per game, with shooting percentages of 50.5%, 38.7%, and 89.2%. He was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. It is believed that his new contract, which could be the last of his career, will have an average annual salary of at least $50 million.

In recent years, the Raptors have gradually begun to realize their talent and have now regained their super leader. Last season, they finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 46-36 record in the regular season. In the first round of the playoffs this year, they lost to the Cavaliers (who eventually reached the Eastern Conference Finals) after a seven-game battle. Observers believe that they could replicate their 2019 success next season and once again change the championship landscape of the NBA.

It is particularly noteworthy that, DeRozan, who has been waived by the Kings and become an unrestricted free agent, is one of the Raptors' hottest targets.

At 36, DeRozan is still impressive. He averaged 18.4 points per game in the regular season last season. He previously played nine seasons for the Raptors before being traded to the Spurs in the summer of 2018 in a swap deal involving Leonard. Now, after eight years, he has the first opportunity to return home.

The entire league must take notice because the Raptors have opened their eyes and bared their fangs.