Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, shoots as Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, shoots as Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
TORONTO - Kawhi Leonard is headed back to the Toronto Raptors after they struck a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to reunite with the player who led their run to the 2019 NBA championship, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The price is hefty. 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.
The first-round picks present potential risk for the Raptors, as they will come when the 35-year-old Leonard is likely retired and all-star Scottie Barnes is nearing the end of his prime.
And the oft-injured Leonard has never played more than 74 games in a season and missed the entire 2021-22 campaign.
But the Raptors showed last season they are on the verge of being competitive after taking the favoured Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of playoffs.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game last season for Los Angeles in 2025-26.
He joins a team that 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.
Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, a two-time NBA champion (also having won in 2014 with San Antonio) and is generally considered one of the game's top defensive players.
He 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.
He signed with his hometown Clippers 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. He missed the entire 2021-22 season, however, with a partial ACL tear in his right knee.
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.
This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published June 30, 2026.
