Kawhi Leonard is going back to Toronto. Six years, one championship parade, and a lot of unfinished business later, the Raptors have their prodigal son back.
The Clippers sent Kawhi to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 pick swap, and two second-rounders. LA finally decided a 35-year-old on a $50 million expiring was not worth an extension.
The Raptors get their prodigal son, if his knees allow.
There is a catch. The deal is officially on hold pending the NBA’s investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap. Outside counsel is digging through the Aspiration mess. No timetable, no promises, no guaranteed finish line.
Assume for a moment the trade does go through. Toronto just executed one of the most emotionally satisfying moves in franchise history.
Masai Ujiri, who bet his career on the 2019 gamble and won a title, gets to run it back with the same player who delivered it. Scottie Barnes gets to learn wing craft from the best two-way forward of his generation. Immanuel Quickley finally has a closer he can trust in the fourth quarter.
The Raptors are already planning contract extension talks. A two-year deal keeps Kawhi in Toronto through age 37. That is aggressive given his medical history, but Ujiri has always chosen boldness over patience.
The Clippers side of this is a full white flag. LA finally accepted that Kawhi’s body is a lease, not a purchase. Ingram gives them a shot creator who might actually finish games. Gradey Dick is a floor spacer. The picks are the real point.
Steve Ballmer is essentially paying to reset the roster and hope Ivica Zubac and Kris Dunn become the foundation of a middling playoff team. That is a rough place to be spending Intuit Dome dollars.
The real question is Kawhi’s health. He has played 68 games or fewer in six of the last seven seasons. His knees have been managed like museum artifacts. Toronto is betting that a change of scenery and a lighter travel schedule buys them 55 games per year.
If they get that, this team is a top-four seed in the East. If Kawhi plays 30 games, it is a bad rebuild delay with an expensive lesson attached.
My take. The emotional payoff is unbeatable. Kawhi going back to the city that loved him without conditions is the kind of storyline the NBA rarely produces. The basketball logic is shakier, but Ujiri has earned the right to swing. Assuming the league approves it, Toronto just made itself the most interesting non-contender in the East, and possibly a lot more than that.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
