Raptors Clippers – Toronto is finalizing its return of Kawhi Leonard through a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that would send the Clippers Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 pick swap and two second-round picks. Leonard is
Kawhi Leonard is set to put on a Raptors jersey again, with the deal moving from “talks” to final steps after Toronto and the Los Angeles Clippers struck an agreement to reunite the star who helped define Toronto’s 2019 run to a championship.
The Raptors are finalizing the trade that brings Leonard back to Toronto, a person with knowledge of the talks said on Tuesday. Once the agreement is complete, Toronto will sign Leonard to a two-year max extension, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported Tuesday.
The financial terms are steep. As a veteran with 10-plus seasons. Leonard would be eligible for 35 per cent of the projected $173.5 million salary cap in 2027-28. That figure translates into $60.6 million in 2026-27 and $65.5 million in 2028-29, for a total of $126.1 million in new money. For a franchise that came up through playoff battles in recent seasons. it’s a bold bet—made with the league’s future in mind.
The cost to Toronto is just as heavy. Shams Charania of ESPN. who first reported the proposed deal. said the Clippers will acquire Brandon Ingram. Gradey Dick. unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033. a pick swap in 2027 and two second-round picks. In other words. Toronto is not just buying a two-year window with a veteran star—it’s also putting future assets on the table in order to close the gap between “near” and “contending.”.
The risk is baked into the calendar. Leonard is 35 years old, and the first-round picks are expected to arrive when he is likely retired. At the same time. all-star Scottie Barnes is nearing the end of his prime. a timeline that makes Toronto’s math feel both exciting and unforgiving. Leonard. too. comes with a specific history of availability issues: he has never played more than 74 games in a season. and he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign.
Still, the Raptors aren’t walking into this decision as a team without momentum. Last season. Toronto took the favoured Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. a stretch that suggested the roster is closer to the level required to win than its rebuild label ever allowed.
Leonard’s recent production also points to what the Raptors are trying to secure right now. He averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game for Los Angeles in 2025-26. Those numbers come with the defensive reputation that has followed him for years: Leonard is generally considered one of the game’s top defensive players.
In Toronto, he would join a group built around Barnes and extended by promising pieces. The Raptors lineup includes Barnes. Canadian swingman RJ Barrett. talented rookie Collin Murray-Boyles. point guard Immanuel Quickley and young rotation pieces Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter. It’s a roster that mixes established leadership with growth. and Leonard’s arrival would reshape how the team closes games—on both ends of the floor.
There’s also the kind of history that doesn’t need explanation in Toronto. Leonard was the central player in the Raptors’ 2019 championship run. including a climactic buzzer beater to win Game 7 of Toronto’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia 76ers. The memory of that shot has lived on in the franchise’s identity. making this reunion feel personal as much as it is strategic.
Leonard’s connection to the Clippers runs just as deep. He signed with his hometown team as a free agent that off-season, agreeing to a three-year, US$103 million contract. After opting out of the final year of that contract. Leonard re-signed with the Clippers in August 2021 to a max four-year. $176.3 million contract. with the fourth year being a player option. However, he missed the entire 2021-22 season with a partial ACL tear in his right knee.
Off the court, his name has been tied to another complication. That contract has become embroiled in controversy after allegations emerged in September 2025 that Leonard signed a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with Aspiration. an environmental company that entered bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joe Sanberg was arrested and charged with fraud. The alleged deal did not require any action on Leonard’s part, other than remaining with the Clippers.
The Raptors are betting that Leonard can still deliver the impact that once carried them through the toughest moments—and that the future picks they’re sending away won’t come back as the price of one more postseason push.
Kawhi Leonard Toronto Raptors Los Angeles Clippers Brandon Ingram Gradey Dick Scottie Barnes RJ Barrett Immanuel Quickley Collin Murray-Boyles Jamal Shead Ja'Kobe Walter NBA trade 2019 NBA championship NBA playoffs