Kawhi Leonard Returns to Toronto: The Raptors Trade for Their Old Champion in Blockbuster With Clippers
Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor again. Seven years after leading Toronto to its only NBA championship, the Klaw is coming back north as part of a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that shakes up the Eastern Conference title picture.
The Raptors acquire Kawhi in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first round pick swap, and two second round picks. That is a massive haul for the Clippers, and it is the price of getting a top ten player on the way out of Los Angeles.
Kawhi wanted this. His representatives told teams across the league that he was only willing to sign an extension with the Raptors. Toronto is a city he loves, and he believes the Raptors can contend in the Eastern Conference. That single ask basically decided the trade market for him.
The extension is where this really becomes a Toronto win. Kawhi has one year left on his current deal at $50.3 million. Now that he is in Toronto, he is eligible to sign up to a two year, $123.7 million extension with the team. That locks him into the market until his mid thirties, which is exactly the window the Raptors need him for.
Toronto’s championship in 2019 was carried on Kawhi’s shoulders. He won Finals MVP that year, closed out the Warriors in six, and gave the city one of the great sports moments in modern Canadian history. Then he left in free agency, went home to Los Angeles, and the Raptors had to rebuild without him. Getting him back changes the ceiling of the current roster in a fundamental way.
The Raptors were already a team with real young talent. Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, and RJ Barrett give them a strong young core. Adding Kawhi as the primary shot creator and closer immediately makes them a top five team in the Eastern Conference. If his knees hold up, he is still one of the best two way wings in the league.
The Clippers get Ingram as their consolation prize, and he is not a bad one. Ingram was acquired by Toronto in February 2025 and signed a three year, $120 million extension. He averaged 21.5 points and 5.6 rebounds over 77 games last season and made the All-Star team. Los Angeles is essentially trading a 34 year old superstar with knee questions for a 28 year old scorer with a real skill set. That is a defensible pivot, especially with the picks they added.
Gradey Dick is the pick swap that makes this trade look even better for the Clippers. He is a young shooter who fits any modern lineup. Ballmer is basically trading Kawhi for a cheaper All-Star, a young shooter, and enough draft capital to remake the roster over the next four years.
Here is the harder part for the Clippers. Los Angeles has been trying to build a title team around Kawhi and Paul George for years, and it never fully worked. This trade is an admission that the plan is done. Ballmer is starting over, and getting Ingram back gives the roster a clear new face without a full tear down.
For Kawhi, the reset in Toronto is a chance to remind everyone why he was drafted into MVP conversations in the first place. He is going back to a coaching staff and a training staff that know exactly how to manage his body. He is going back to a city that already worshipped him.
This trade makes the Eastern Conference title race even wilder. Giannis is in Miami. LeBron is figuring out where he plays. Boston still has Tatum. New York is defending. Now Kawhi is back in Toronto. There has not been this much talent in the East in years, and the Raptors just made themselves a real threat again.
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.
