Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors. Image via: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kawhi Leonard is in the Toronto Raptors again, and the trade reuniting him with the franchise he led to a championship in 2019 is no longer hypothetical. 10, the Raptors visit Los Angeles on Nov. 2, and the Clippers head to Toronto on Jan. 1.
Because of an active NBA investigation, the Raptors and Clippers received league approval Monday to finalize the deal both sides shook hands on back in late June, ending a stretch where an already-completed trade sat frozen. Ballmer has already said he won’t challenge the punishment. It has been a while but the wait is over. Nothing about the trade package changed in the two and a half months it spent in limbo. The Clippers still get Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a stack of draft compensation, and the Raptors still get their franchise cornerstone back. What changed is the context: the NBA’s probe into how the Clippers paid Leonard is now closed, complete with penalties that reshaped the roster math on both sides. For Leonard, the next milestone is a contract extension with Toronto, something the Clippers weren’t willing to offer. Toronto hosts the Clippers in a preseason game in Vancouver on Oct.
Category Details Player Kawhi Leonard Former Team Los Angeles Clippers New Team Toronto Raptors Contract Status Final year of three-year, $103 million deal signed in 2019; extension expected with Raptors Clippers Receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, 2031 and 2033 unprotected first-round picks, 2027 first-round pick swap, 2030 and 2033 second-round picks Original Agreement June 30 League Approval Monday Kawhi Leonard’s return closes a loop that started when he left Toronto for the Clippers after that 2019 title run, still the only championship of his career. The findings landed hard: Ballmer drew a one-year suspension and a $30 million fine, and the team forfeited five first-round picks. Leonard himself was fined $700,000, though the league didn’t suspend him or void his contract. As for his fortune, Leonard is estimated to have earned approximately $375.8 million in NBA salary through the end of the 2026-27 season.
Because the NBA was investigating whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap when they signed Leonard to that three-year, $103 million deal in July 2019, reportedly including a no-show job worth $28 million, the agreement sat frozen. Raptors general manager Bobby Webster called it a statement move for a franchise trying to get back into contention, saying Leonard’s “impact on our organization, our city and our country is undeniable. Both franchises agreed not to finalize the trade until the league closed its probe.