Clippers finalizing trade that sends Kawhi Leonard to Raptors in blockbuster NBA reunion
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In a stunning move, the Clippers have agreed to trade Leonard back to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, 2 first-round picks, 1 pick swap and 2 second-rounders, according to Shams Charania.
The trade signals the end to one of the most dramatic NBA storylines of the 2020s.
Leonard led the Raptors to their first NBA title in 2019, in which he capped off a legendary playoff run by defeating Steph Curry and the Warriors in six games — albeit without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the end due to injuries — to take home Finals MVP honors.
He then left Toronto in free agency that summer and returned to his SoCal roots, where he signed a max contract with the Clippers. Los Angeles had also just traded for Paul George a few weeks earlier, signaling a new era for the Clippers where they looked like one of the best teams in the NBA.
Injuries to Leonard and George throughout their time together in Los Angeles proved futile as the Clippers never reached the NBA Finals once. The closest they came was in 2021, when they fell to the Suns in the Western Conference finals.
Los Angeles is coming off a string of first-round playoff exits from 2023-25 before falling in the play-in to the Warriors this past season — signaling a shift from the front office that changes are needed despite what was said at the beginning of the offseason.
“Our plan is to win with Kawhi,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said after the loss to the Warriors. “We obviously showed as an organization that we want to continue and we are driven to win. So at the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we’d like to win with Kawhi.”
One of the league’s most enigmatic stars, Leonard is coming off a career year with Los Angeles.
He averaged a career-high 27.9 points while playing in 65 games, just the second time since the 2016-2017 season in which he played 65 games or more. He averaged 32.1 minutes per game with a 50/39/89 shooting split, including 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Leonard earned second-team All-NBA honors this past season, remerging as a dominant two-way force and one of the most clutch players in the game.
While Leonard may be on his way to Canada, the drama in Los Angeles isn’t over yet.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are nearing deal sending Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, 2 first-round picks, 1 pick swap and 2 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. A return to Canada for the Raptors champion and two-time Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/VovqGw5qS6
Reports surfaced last year that Steve Ballmer, owner of Los Angeles’ “other” team, was accused of circumventing the NBA’s salary cap rule by using Aspiration, a now-defunct green banking company, to pay star Kawhi Leonard $28 million for a “no show” job.
Almost immediately once the accusations became public back in September 2025, an investigation, led by David Anders and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, began.
Ballmer and the Clippers initially welcomed the investigation, claiming innocence in two press releases sent out that day by saying, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
However, nine months later and no definitive end appears in sight.