The final hurdle to the Raptors-Clippers trade appears to be out of the way.
With the NBA handing down its punishment to the Clippers for cap circumvention violations, attention has shifted back to the long-pending Kawhi Leonard deal between Los Angeles and Toronto. The trade had been held up while both teams waited for the league’s investigation to play out, and the Raptors in particular wanted clarity on whether Leonard himself would face discipline that could affect his contract or his availability for the 2026/27 season.
That answer came today. The NBA said Leonard failed to reimburse payments made by the Clippers for personal expenses and will be required to pay $700K to the league. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, that is the full extent of Leonard’s punishment, and it clears the way for the transaction to move forward.
“ This was the last piece of information that the Raptors were waiting on,” Charania said. “ The full expectation around the Raptors and around Kawhi Leonard and the league is that this trade will be going through in the next couple of days.”
Leonard himself sounded as if the move was already finished in the statement he released after the league’s ruling became public. He said, “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
If the trade is officially completed, Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick would go back to the Clippers, along with Toronto’s unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a pick swap in 2027.
Those draft assets take on extra weight for a Clippers team that has already been stripped of five first-round picks because of its cap-related violations. In the aftermath of the investigation - and a Leonard-Paul George era that produced just three playoff series wins - those Toronto picks could end up being especially important. Assuming the deal gets finalized as expected, they would be the only first-rounders the Clippers control between 2030 and 2033.
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The gathering also fits into a longer runway to one of the franchises biggest honors for a former star. Lowrys No. 7 is scheduled to go up to the rafters on Jan. 10, 2027, when Toronto hosts the 76ers, and this falls reunion looks like an early chance for fans to reconnect with one of the defining players of the Raptors modern era. [Read more 🡒]