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Kawhi Leonard Returns to Toronto in Blockbuster Trade
Confirmed
In Short: The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers finalized a trade that sends Kawhi Leonard back to the Raptors, who are set to offer him a lucrative extension.
The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers have completed a blockbuster trade that sends Kawhi Leonard back to the Raptors, where he will be eligible for a two-year, $126 million extension. The trade, which was paused for months due to salary cap manipulation investigations, was finally finalized on Monday. According to reports, the Raptors will receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and multiple draft picks in exchange for Leonard.
Kawhi Leonard is entering the last year of his current contract and is owed $50 million in 2026-27. The Raptors are expected to offer him an extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season, when he will be 37 years old. The trade is significant for both teams, with the Raptors gaining valuable assets and the Clippers facing a loss of key players and draft picks.
What's confirmed
- The Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers have completed a blockbuster trade that sends Kawhi Leonard back to the Raptors, where he will be eligible for a two-year, $126 million extension. The trade, which was paused for months due to salary cap manipulation investigations, was finally finalized on Monday. According to reports, the Raptors will receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and multiple draft picks in exchange for Leonard.
- Kawhi Leonard is entering the last year of his current contract and is owed $50 million in 2026-27. The Raptors are expected to offer him an extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season, when he will be 37 years old. The trade is significant for both teams, with the Raptors gaining valuable assets and the Clippers facing a loss of key players and draft picks.
What's still developing
- Kawhi and the Clippers failed to replicate the success of the Raptors and he was traded back to Toronto in June, however, the trade was paused for almost three months while the Los Angeles team and Kawhi were being investigated for salary cap circumvention.
- Kawhi Leonard famously arrived to Toronto in 2018 in a trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.
- In his first season with the team, Kawhi managed to carry the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title, winning Finals MVP in the process.
- Then after the lone season, Leonard chose the Clippers to return to his hometown of Los Angeles in free agency.
- Per Charania, the Clippers gave the final sign-off for the trade on Monday after taking the last 13 days to absorb the league's punishment for manipulating the salary cap and sort out internal logistics.
- Those picks are big for the Clippers, who still owe three years of pick control to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers as part of the James Harden acquisition and were just stripped of five of their own first-round picks from 2029 to 2033 as a result of the league determining that they did, in fact, circumvent the salary cap in directing Leonard more money than they were legally allowed to by way endorsements.
- The good news is Leonard is coming off his healthiest and arguably best regular season in nearly a decade.
- Either way, priority number one is sustaining Leonard's health over the long haul of an 82-game season and a playoff run.