TORONTO – Kawhi Leonard is headed back to the Toronto Raptors after they struck a take care of the Los Angeles Clippers to reunite with the player who led their run to the 2019 NBA championship, an individual with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The value 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 primary-round picks present potential risk for the Raptors, as they’ll come when the 35-year-old Leonard is probably going retired and all-star Scottie Barnes is nearing the top of his prime.
And the oft-injured Leonard has never played greater than 74 games in a season and missed all the 2021-22 campaign.
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However the Raptors showed last season they’re on the verge of being competitive after taking the favoured Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the primary round of playoffs.
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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 features 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 mostly considered considered one of the sport’s top defensive players.
He was the central player within 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 together 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 ultimate 12 months of that contract, Leonard re-signed with the Clippers in August 2021 to a max four-year, $176.3 million contract with the fourth 12 months being a player option. He missed all the 2021-22 season, nonetheless, with a partial ACL tear in his right knee.
That contract has turn into embroiled in controversy after allegations emerged in September 2025 that Leonard signed a $28 million “no-show” endorsement take care of Aspiration, an environmental company that entered bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joe Sanberg was arrested and charged with fraud.
The alleged deal didn’t require any motion on Leonard’s part, apart from remaining with the Clippers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2026 The Canadian Press