Kawhi Leonard’s next trip back to Los Angeles is shaping up to be anything but comfortable.
After the NBA’s year-long investigation concluded there was enough evidence to punish the LA Clippers and Leonard for circumventing the salary cap, the fallout has already hit hard. Steve Ballmer, Gillian Zucker, and Lawrence Frank were all suspended. Ballmer was also fined $30 million, the Clippers lost five future first-round picks, and Leonard was fined $700,000.
That kind of damage has a way of sticking with a fan base. And for Clippers supporters, the frustration goes deeper than the penalties. The team pushed its future into the danger zone for a stretch that never delivered much payoff: one deep playoff run with Leonard, followed by three straight first-round exits and then this year’s play-in tournament loss.
So when the Clippers eventually send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, he should not expect a friendly reception the next time he walks into Inuit Dome.
The relationship may already be heading there. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that there is real frustration inside the organization over how Leonard came out of the investigation.
“There is some element that Los Angeles is frustrated and disappointed that Kawhi Leonard essentially got off scot-free here,” Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream on September 8.
The people involved will still have to handle the situation professionally, but there’s little reason to think the night will feel normal. Fans are expected to make their feelings known, and the atmosphere could get awkward fast.
Fischer also said the trade is still expected to happen as planned. The main delay, he reported, is that the Clippers are sorting out their front office after Lawrence Frank’s suspension. Even with the obvious frustration, Leonard not being hit harder actually helps Los Angeles in one key way: it keeps Toronto willing to complete the deal, and the Clippers can recover two first-round picks to help offset what they lost.
The schedule already has a reunion circled.
Toronto is set to play the Clippers in the preseason, though that game will be in Vancouver. Leonard’s return to Los Angeles will come during the regular season instead. The Raptors open the 2026-27 season against the Chicago Bulls, then go through the Washington Wizards, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic before heading to LA for a back-to-back with the Lakers and Clippers on November 1 and 2.
Because of Leonard’s injury history, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to back-to-backs. Still, there should be a solid chance he plays against his former team.
That meeting could also bring another layer of intrigue. It would be the first reunion for Raptors returners Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, assuming both are on the Clippers’ roster by then.
Fischer added on yesterday’s livestream that the Clippers have not signaled any immediate plans to reroute Ingram. But if they look for more moves to make up for the draft picks they lost, Ingram - a multi-time All-Star - could become a prime trade candidate.
In Other News...
Clippers Suddenly Have A Bigger Kawhi Leonard Problem Than Expected
The Kawhi Leonard saga has taken another turn, and this time the holdup is coming from the Clippers side. After the NBA hit Los Angeles with a $30 million fine, stripped the team of five first-round picks and handed out temporary suspensions to several executives, including owner Steve Ballmer, the organization suddenly has a front office dealing with fallout on multiple levels. Leonard was fined $700,000 and cleared to move to Toronto, but the trade has still not been finalized.
What makes the delay especially notable for Raptors fans is that the process had already advanced past the point where Leonards destination seemed settled. Now the question is whether the Clippers can get their paperwork and decision-making aligned while those suspensions reshape the people normally steering the deal. For Toronto, it leaves an already unusual situation sitting in limbo, with the next step dependent on a team that is now managing a much bigger crisis than the original move itself. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Need To Act Fast If Memphis Creates This Opening
Memphis is running up against the NBAs offseason roster limit with 19 players on the books, and that kind of squeeze can force a team into tough decisions just as camp approaches. For the Raptors, it is a situation worth monitoring closely because it can create an opportunity to add a young guard without having to pay the usual premium on the market.
Walter Clayton Jr. is one name to watch if Memphis needs to trim the group further. The 23-year-old showed enough promise in college and in his first NBA season to keep drawing interest, and Toronto could have reason to explore the fit if he lands on the open market. The question now is whether the Grizzlies make the move before another team gets to him first. [Read more 🡒]
Gradey Dick's Raptors Future Looks Murkier Than Fans Expected
Gradey Dicks second NBA season has already become a little more complicated than the usual early-career growth curve. The 2023 first-round pick entered Toronto with the kind of long-term optimism teams usually attach to a lottery talent, but the broader class has not exactly lit up the league, with Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller standing out as rare immediate hits.
For Dick, the concern is less about his draft pedigree than about fit and timing. The Raptors are dealing with a crowded picture around him, and the Clippers would not offer much more clarity if he lands there, given their own heavy mix of guards and wings. For now, the most notable part of his future is how many doors still appear open, and how few of them point toward an obvious extension. [Read more 🡒]