The Raptors’ big swing for Kawhi Leonard may have gotten an unexpected assist from the Indiana Pacers.
Toronto, fresh off pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games, decided it was time to chase the next level. The team agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and a few draft picks to the LA Clippers for Leonard, a move that could reshape the Eastern Conference if it gets completed.
But the deal is still hanging out there, and that uncertainty is driving plenty of frustration around the Raptors. If it becomes official before the season, Toronto has a real path to a deep playoff run and possibly the Eastern Conference crown, depending on Leonard’s health and how quickly the group comes together. If it doesn’t, the Raptors are left with an awkward mess and a much smaller ceiling on the floor.
What makes the whole thing more interesting is how close Toronto may have come to never making this kind of move at all. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie put it plainly on the Game Theory podcast while discussing the Clippers’ offseason: “I think if they don’t get the number-five overall pick, they might not have actually made this decision to pivot in the way that they have with Kawhi,”
That pick belonged to the Pacers.
Back in February, Indiana sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and draft capital to the Clippers for Ivica Zubac. Included in that package was a second-round pick, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and a top-four protected 2026 first-round pick.
Then the lottery bounced the wrong way for Indiana. The Pacers landed at No. 5, just outside the protected range, and the pick went to the Clippers.
Los Angeles used it to select Keaton Wagler, with the idea of building around the young guard.
Even with that loss, the Pacers remain a team worth watching next season. They won just 19 games this past season, but they were in the finals the year before.
Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 changed the championship picture, and now that he’s back in the lineup, Indiana could climb right back toward the top of the East. If the Raptors land Leonard and join the chase, the Pacers may be part of the traffic standing in the way.
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