Clippers near deal sending Kawhi to Raptors

Clippers nearing – Hours after LeBron James quit the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard is reportedly nearing a trade from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. The reported package includes Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a pick swap, and two second-round picks—while Leon

Los Angeles didn’t even get time to process one earthquake—then it felt another.

LeBron James had already stepped away from the Lakers when the news moved on to the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard, the franchise’s other modern pillar, is now “nearing” a deal that would send him back to Toronto, the place he last led to an upset championship moment in 2019.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Clippers are close to a trade with the Raptors. The framework being discussed would bring Leonard to Toronto in exchange for forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a pick swap, and two second-round picks.

For Leonard, the switch appears to be about timing and legacy more than rebuilding. Charania’s report says the veteran is viewing the move as a chance to retire with the Raptors—the team he led to an upset NBA title in 2019 over the then-dominant Golden State Warriors. Leonard is said to have preferred staying in Los Angeles after his contract expired at the end of the season. but moved to Toronto once it became clear he had “no future” with the Clippers.

That decision closes another chapter in a franchise story filled with ambition and missed chances. Leonard never managed to deliver the hometown Clippers a title alongside friend and former teammate Paul George. The move to Los Angeles came just weeks after the Raptors’ 2019 championship run. and it marked the first “Big Four” pro sports title for Toronto since the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.

Leonard’s arrival in LA also arrived with another bet: the Clippers’ trade for Paul George. The deal has since been remembered as one of the league’s most lopsided swings. To acquire George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. the Clippers sent five first-round picks—one of them later used in this year’s draft—plus two first-round pick swaps and player Danilo Gallinari. The most dramatic part was the inclusion of future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

George’s Clippers run lasted five seasons, derailed by multiple injury-riddled campaigns alongside Leonard. Leonard stayed through injury after injury, including missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season.

Those setbacks shaped a stark reality. Over seven seasons in Los Angeles. the Clippers made the playoffs just five times and won only three combined playoff series. Their furthest run came when they reached the 2021 Western Conference Finals before losing in six games to the Phoenix Suns. They missed the playoffs in Leonard’s injury season. then dropped in the first round in each of the three ensuing seasons.

Leonard also became a central figure in the “load management” debate. His reputation grew as the face of a movement in which stars sat out games the Clippers were expected to win in order to avoid injury. Even with 82 games on the schedule, the most Leonard played in a single season was 68 contests during the 2023-24 campaign.

The timing of this trade chatter is landing as another story refuses to fade in Los Angeles. Leonard and his dealings with the Clippers have been under intense scrutiny over a scandal involving an endorsement agreement he signed with the now-bankrupt environmental company Aspiration. The allegation is that the arrangement was used to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.

This is where the Leonard story collides with the league’s investigation. According to sports journalist Pablo Torre. Leonard signed a $28m “no-show” endorsement deal requiring no work from the NBA star beyond remaining a member of the Clippers. Torre also reported that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50m into Aspiration. Torre alleged the investment was a way to pay Leonard under the table.

Later reports from the Boston Sports Journal said Leonard also received $20m in stock in the company—raising his total compensation to $48m. The Clippers denied the allegations.

In an interview with ESPN, Ballmer said the team introduced Leonard to the company after Aspiration signed a sponsorship agreement with the Clippers, and that he did not have further involvement in endorsement deals.

After the allegations were published, the NBA launched an investigation into the deal and potential involvement by Leonard and Ballmer. But when NBA reporters Marc Stein and Jake Fischer later discussed the league’s stance. they said there is no suggestion that a potential Leonard trade would be held up by the league office due to the investigation. Earlier in the month, commissioner Adam Silver said the league is near the point where the investigation needs to end.

Now, as the Clippers move toward shipping their star back to the team he beat in 2019, the contrast is unavoidable. One story is about basketball—who gets the next chance, and what postseason hope looks like. The other is about money, cap rules, and how a single endorsement deal can drag every decision into the spotlight.

Either way, Los Angeles is losing two of its biggest names within hours of each other—starting with LeBron James and now, potentially, with Kawhi Leonard.

Kawhi Leonard LA Clippers Toronto Raptors Shams Charania Brandon Ingram Gradey Dick NBA trade LeBron James Paul George Aspiration salary cap investigation Steve Ballmer Adam Silver