When the Toronto Raptors finalized a deal with superstar guard Kawhi Leonard yesterday, they went from being a middle-of-the-pack afterthought to a legitimate championship contender. That’s why club owners Rogers Communications opened the vault to bring back the mercurial baller – signing the 35-year-old guard to a two-year, $115 million extension. It seems absurd to pay a player that much to dribble a basketball, especially one who routinely misses 20 games a year and who couldn’t leave town quick enough in 2019, after leading the Raps to their one and only title. Then there’s the added baggage of those shady “no-show” endorsement deals he arranged with his former team, the L.A. Clippers, to skirt the salary-cap rules and put extra money in his pocket. This transgression earned him a paltry fine from the league and an epic takedown by ESPN firebrand Stephen A. Smith, who called him out as a “gangster.” But when you play basketball at Kawhi’s level – a seven-time all-star, two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP – the rules change. And if the Raptors lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season, all will be forgiven. The second-highest-paid NBA player understands the game – when you’re this good, you call the shots.  |  Getty Images