The Raptors’ push to bring Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto is still very much alive.
League sources told Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line that Toronto and the Clippers remain in serious talks on a trade, with “momentum” building toward a deal that would send the two-time Finals MVP back to the Raptors. Fischer was the first to report Toronto’s interest in a reunion, and since then multiple reports have confirmed the conversations between the teams.
Even with that chatter continuing, the Clippers are not casting a wide net at Jaylen Brown. Stein and Fischer report that Los Angeles has not pursued the Celtics wing this offseason and does not plan to make a run at the 2024 Finals MVP.
There’s also movement around a number of other names across the league. Washington has a “level of interest” in Russell Westbrook, who spent the 2020/21 season with the Wizards before being traded to the Lakers. Westbrook, 37, played for the Kings last season.
Sacramento, meanwhile, is trying to keep a pair of its own pieces in place. According to The Stein Line, the Kings are aiming to re-sign Precious Achiuwa and convert Daeqwon Plowden to a standard contract.
Sacramento made Plowden, who ended last season on a two-way deal, a restricted free agent on Monday. Achiuwa is an unrestricted free agent.
The Lakers are expected to be busy on Tuesday, with Stein and Fischer saying they are “strongly believed” to be one of three teams scheduled to meet with Jazz restricted free agent center Walker Kessler. Los Angeles is also expected to sit down with Pistons RFA Jalen Duren. Another restricted free agent, Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, remains linked to the Clippers.
The Spurs are shopping in the frontcourt too. The Stein Line reports San Antonio is looking to add a power forward using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, with Sandro Mamukelashvili, Tobias Harris, Dean Wade, Rui Hachimura and John Collins listed as targets.
Mamukelashvili is also on the Lakers’ radar, according to Stein and Fischer and Dan Woike of The Athletic. Sources told Stein and Fischer that the Georgian big man should draw multiple offers above $10 million per year after turning down his minimum-salary option to reach free agency.
Toronto has another decision to make beyond Leonard. Stein and Fischer report the Raptors are expected to work out a new standard deal with 2025 second-rounder Alijah Martin. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca had already reported the two sides were working toward a multiyear standard contract after Martin received a two-way qualifying offer and became a restricted free agent.
Elsewhere, the Nets are now being described as a “real contender” to land Moritz Wagner after Stein and Fischer had previously reported the Magic were preparing to lose him in free agency. Orlando is also expected to bring back Jonathan Isaac after waiving him earlier this week.
Chicago’s offseason may get more expensive if Norman Powell lands there. Stein and Fischer report that any deal would likely be a lucrative short-term one.
The Bulls are also considering a move to keep Anfernee Simons, who is expected to draw interest from the Warriors and Celtics, while also showing interest in Jonathan Kuminga. Cleveland is another possible Kuminga destination, though the Cavaliers do not have much money to work with right now.
The Cavaliers already moved to re-sign Thomas Bryant, in part because they believed the Pacers were planning to chase him in free agency. Stein and Fischer also report that Indiana has its eye on Josh Okogie, Gary Trent Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr. as possible free agent targets.
In Other News...
Clippers Just Made A Veteran Core Decision Fans Wont Ignore
The Clippers spent the start of the offseason navigating a veteran market that has already moved pieces around the league, with Jusuf Nurkic headed back to Utah on a two-year deal and Kevin Huerter landing in Detroit. Against that backdrop, Los Angeles made its own choice on the front end of the roster, keeping Brook Lopez in place on his $9.2 million team option as it continues sorting out how much veteran stability it wants to carry into next season.
Brook Lopez staying gives the Clippers another experienced frontcourt piece to lean on, but the bigger picture is the reshaping around him. With the team also moving on from Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum, the group around Lopez is changing quickly, and the way Los Angeles fills those spots will say plenty about how it plans to balance continuity with a deeper reset. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs May Have Found The Cheap Bench Spark They Desperately Need
The Clippers summer has already carried the kind of franchise-level noise that tends to follow a team built around Kawhi Leonard. Even with trade chatter circulating, Leonard remains central to the conversation in Los Angeles, and the practical reality is that any real resolution would have to pass through the same uneasy place the Clippers have been navigating for months: keeping a contender together while trying to figure out what comes next for one of the leagues most talented, and most complicated, stars.
For now, the larger issue is not just whether Leonard stays put, but how the sides bridge the gap in extension talks that are still moving along without much visible momentum. That leaves the Clippers in a familiar holding pattern, balancing urgency with caution while the rest of the league keeps checking in, and while the front office tries to protect its leverage without closing the door on a future that still hinges on Leonards next contract. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Rumored Kawhi Preference Could Define Their Next Era
The Clippers next big move may hinge on how they want to shape the post-Kawhi Leonard runway, and Brandon Ingram has surfaced as a name to watch in that conversation. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that Los Angeles has interest in Ingram, with the appeal easy to see from a roster-building standpoint: a prime-age scorer who can fit alongside the teams evolving offense and the younger pieces the front office has been leaning into.
Ingrams recent production only adds to the intrigue, since he has shown the kind of scoring versatility and efficiency that would make him a natural fit if the Clippers are looking to soften the blow of a major shakeup. There is still plenty unsettled, including how Toronto values the broader framework of any deal and which direction the Clippers ultimately prefer, but the rumor alone suggests this could be one of the defining roster decisions of their next chapter. [Read more 🡒]