A beloved champion is reportedly close to returning to Toronto
The Los Angeles Clippers are close to trading seven-time all-star Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-rounders, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
“Kawhi views this as an opportunity to retire in Toronto,” Charania said on ESPN shortly after breaking the news.
Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported that the final hurdle to get the deal done is each team signing off on the medicals for the incoming players.
When the deal gets finalized, the Raptors are likely to sign Leonard to a two-year max extension, Grange added. As a veteran of 10-plus seasons, he is eligible for 35 per cent of the projected $173.5 million salary cap in 2027-28. Therefore, he would make $60.6 million in 2026-27 and $65.5 million in 2028-29 for a total of $126.1 million in new money.
Leonard, 35, entered the off-season in the final year of his current contract, which pays him $50.3 million before he was scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
He is coming off one of his most productive — and healthiest — campaigns, averaging a career-best 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals on 50.5/38.7/89.2 per cent shooting splits in 65 appearances. He finished tied for seventh in MVP voting and earned the seventh all-NBA selection (second-team) of his career.
And now he could be rejoining the team that famously traded for him in 2018, sending franchise staple DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl back to the San Antonio Spurs. A move that sparked the Raptors' first-ever NBA championship run and saw Leonard take home his second Finals MVP. The two-time defensive player of the year averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 24 playoff games that season.
Despite the win, Leonard then opted to return home and join forces with Paul George on the Clippers instead of running it back with the Raptors.
And despite making six playoff appearances in eight seasons since, the Clippers ended up with just one conference finals run to show for it and appear ready for a new direction after a 42-40 season. Los Angeles traded away veterans James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the February trade deadline, bringing in much younger players in Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, along with the No. 5 pick, which was used on 19-year-old Keaton Wagler.
As for the Raptors, they made a return to competitive relevance last season thanks to a 46-36 record. It was Toronto's first playoff appearance since 2022, but the team ultimately fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game first-round series.
Ingram, who struggled in that series against the Cavaliers and missed the last three games with a heel injury, moves on from the Raptors after one season of actually stepping on the floor with the team.
In the four full games Ingram played for the Raptors in the first round, the 28-year-old averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 33.9 per cent from the field and 38.5 per cent from three-point range.
A mid-season acquisition for the Raptors in the 2024-25 season who didn't debut until this year, Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.7 per cent from the field and 38.2 per cent from deep in his first campaign in Toronto and earned the second all-star nod of his career. He played 77 games — the most he's suited up for since his rookie year in 2016-17.
Ingram underwent surgery to address his ongoing right heel pain by removing a heel spur on May 8. He is expected to fully recover and be ready for training camp in September.
