The Los Angeles Clippers are sending franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors in one of the biggest trades of the offseason, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported Tuesday that the Clippers are nearing a deal that would send Leonard to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks. The move reunites Leonard with the franchise he led to its only NBA championship in 2019 while giving Los Angeles a younger All-Star wing and a substantial package of draft assets.
The trade comes just days after reports surfaced that the two teams had engaged in serious discussions. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported over the weekend that Toronto preferred building a package around Ingram rather than RJ Barrett, and those talks ultimately evolved into an agreement centered on the former All-Star.
Leonard, 34, remains one of the league’s elite two-way players when healthy. He averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games during the 2025-26 season while shooting 50.5% from the field, 38.7% from three-point range and 89.2% from the free-throw line. He earned All-Star and All-NBA Second Team honors, finished seventh in MVP voting and placed 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Despite Leonard’s production, the Clippers finished just 42-40, tied for ninth in the Western Conference, before falling short of a deep playoff run. With Leonard entering the final season of his three-year, $149.5 million contract and scheduled to earn more than $50 million in 2026-27, Los Angeles opted to reshape its roster rather than risk losing him for nothing.
Ingram gives the Clippers another proven scorer entering his age-28 season. The former All-Star averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 77 games last season while shooting 47.7% overall and 38.2% from beyond the arc.
Toronto, meanwhile, is betting on Leonard’s championship pedigree. The Raptors finished 46-36 last season, earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference before pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round. Their young core remains intact, led by Scottie Barnes, who averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists while earning All-Defensive Second Team honors and finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Leonard now joins Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl on a Raptors team looking to accelerate its return to contention. His arrival also comes seven years after delivering one of the greatest individual postseason runs in franchise history, averaging 30.5 points during Toronto’s 2019 championship run that culminated in the organization’s first NBA title.
The Raptors also surrender promising 22-year-old wing Gradey Dick, who averaged 6.0 points in 76 appearances last season, along with significant draft compensation.
