The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to send Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033), a 2027 first-round swap, and two second-round picks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal returns Leonard to the franchise where he delivered the first NBA championship in Canadian history.
Leonard, 35, has one year remaining on the extension he signed with the Clippers in January 2024. Reports indicate the Raptors and Leonard are already in discussions on a two-year extension that would keep him in Toronto through the 2028-29 season.
What Toronto gains – and gives up
Toronto’s calculus is straightforward: a proven championship-level wing, with Finals MVP credentials, to anchor a rebuild that needed a clear direction. The Raptors finished outside the playoffs in 2025-26.
Brandon Ingram – the headliner of their return package – averaged 21.5 points and 5.6 rebounds over 77 games last season. At 28, he heads to the Clippers as a foundational piece. Gradey Dick, 22, a first-round pick in the 2023 draft, goes with him as a depth wing.
The two unprotected first-round picks from Toronto reflect the weight the Raptors placed on this deal. If the team rebuilds competitively, those picks could land in the draft’s middle range – still valuable, but not the lottery assets they might otherwise surrender.
A homecoming with history behind it
Leonard’s first stint in Toronto lasted one season. The numbers – 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists in the 2018-19 regular season – only hint at what followed in the playoffs: 41 points in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Philadelphia, capped by the famous four-bounce buzzer-beater that froze time across Canada before dropping through the net.
He won Finals MVP as the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games. He left for the Clippers that summer. Seven years later, he returns – with questions on both sides about what a second chapter can produce.
The trade will be formally processed by the league after the moratorium window closes on July 6.
Sources: NBA.com, Bleacher Report, ESPN.
