The Raptors have stepped into a Kawhi Leonard situation the Clippers know all too well, and this one comes with even less upside.
Los Angeles spent years paying Leonard like a franchise centerpiece, banking on him to stay on the floor, carry the regular season, and then turn into the kind of playoff force that can drag a team deep into June. That didn’t happen. Since signing in 2019, Leonard has given the Clippers four All-Star appearances and a few good memories, but not the payoff they were chasing.
Toronto is now on the hook after the trade, and it didn’t stop at the deal itself. The Raptors extended Leonard to a two-year, $115 million contract with a player option, essentially betting on the same package of health, production, and postseason lift that LA once wanted.
The difference is age. Leonard is 35 now and nearing the end, which makes the gamble feel even tougher than the one the Clippers took.
If everything breaks right, this could still look like a smart move for Toronto. Leonard staying healthy, dominating in the regular season, and then raising his game in the playoffs would change the conversation fast.
But history says that’s a big if.
Since returning from the ACL injury he suffered in the second round of the 2021 playoffs, Leonard has played 222 games over his last four seasons. That works out to 55.5 per season, a number that does not line up with the Raptors’ $57.5 million average annual salary.
And the playoff record doesn’t offer much comfort either. Leonard and the Clippers reached the postseason in three straight years from 2023 to 2025, but he was fully healthy in only one of them. That played a major part in LA getting bounced in the first round again and again.
So the warning signs are already there. Toronto has committed huge money to a player who has struggled to stay available and is only getting older. That’s the same trap the Clippers fell into - only now, the Raptors are the ones holding the bag.
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Kawhi's New Deal Just Reopened A Painful Clippers Trade Debate
Kawhi Leonards new extension with the Toronto Raptors has put a familiar Clippers conversation back in the foreground. The two-year, $115 million deal comes after the NBAs investigation into Leonards sponsorship dealings, a probe that led to fines for Leonard and penalties for Los Angeles. Even with the transaction now in place, the structure of the contract still reflects the league rules that shaped it, with the agreement coming in below his maximum salary.
For Clippers fans, the bigger issue is what the whole episode still represents years later: the cost of chasing Leonard, the fallout from the cap-circumvention investigation, and the way one superstar pursuit continues to hover over the franchise. Leonards contract also includes a player option for the 2028-29 season, another reminder that the story is not just about where he is now, but about how much unfinished business the leagues ruling left behind for Los Angeles to reckon with. [Read more 🡒]
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Christies situation feels the most delicate because the team has already put a salary guarantee deadline on the calendar, making camp a live audition in a way the others may not face. For a team trying to sort out its rotation and its roster at the same time, these are the kinds of decisions that can shape not just opening night, but the early tone of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Are Stuck In The Worst Possible Spot Again
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Oklahoma City has a far more appealing view of the whole thing, because this is where the old roster reshuffling keeps paying off in ways that still shape the future. With the lottery odds now making it easier for a respectable-but-unspectacular season to turn into a valuable draft outcome, the Thunder could end up in line for another major boost from Los Angeles without needing the Clippers to completely collapse. That is the sort of back-end leverage that can make an already strong team even harder to catch. [Read more 🡒]