Kawhi Leonard is making his way back to Toronto, with the Raptors striking a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to bring back the player who guided them to their first and only NBA title in 2019, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
To acquire Leonard, the Raptors are sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks, and a pick swap to the Clippers. The source spoke anonymously to the AP because the trade has not yet received the required approval from the league.
Leonard’s only season in Toronto happened to be the year the Raptors captured their lone championship. He celebrated his 35th birthday on Monday, but he arrives coming off a career-best scoring year, putting up an average of 27.9 points per game across 65 contests with the Clippers.
A seven-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection, Leonard has won two NBA championships — the one in Toronto and another back in 2014 with San Antonio. He is widely regarded as one of the premier defensive players the game has seen.
This blockbuster move is part of a wave of major trades that have already reshaped the NBA this offseason, which has also seen Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt from Milwaukee to Miami and Ja Morant moved from Memphis to Portland. The Raptors are clearly hoping Leonard can work his championship magic once again in Toronto.
The fact that Toronto moved forward with this deal indicates the organization is not deterred by an ongoing NBA investigation into an endorsement arrangement Leonard had with a California-based sustainability services company. The NBA launched that probe in September, looking into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that has since filed for bankruptcy — violated league rules. The central question is whether that deal allowed the Clippers to work around the league’s salary cap regulations. The investigation was first reported by journalist Pablo Torre.
