Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after scoring against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
The Kawhi Leonard trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors remains on hold, even though almost a week has passed since the NBA dropped the hammer. Raptors fans might be getting a little restless now, and TV host Alex Glikman decided to ask Leonard himself whether he is coming to Toronto.
“I hope so,” Leonard said.
Glikman had crossed paths with Leonard in Miami and told him the Raptors need him back. The 35-year-old responded with a confident message that has their fans in dreamland.
“We gonna win,” Leonard added.
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Winning was the last thing Leonard did as a Raptor. He led them to the NBA title in 2019 as they took down the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals. Leonard was named Finals MVP after the triumph and was on top of the basketball world. Raptors fans were over the moon at the time, but then suffered a massive blow as he left for the Clippers in free agency after just one year in Toronto.
Leonard’s time with the Clippers proved to be quite disappointing. They only made it to the Western Conference Finals once, in 2021, and he got injured during that playoff run.
Injuries were pretty much the norm, as Leonard played just 331 of a possible 554 regular-season games for the Clippers. As if the injuries and lack of on-court success weren’t bad enough, then came the cap circumvention allegations.
In September 2025, the Clippers were accused of funnelling money to Leonard via Aspiration, a now-defunct environmental company. That led to the NBA launching an investigation, and before the findings were released, the Raptors decided to bring Leonard back this summer. They agreed to send Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a first-round pick swap in 2027 to the Clippers.
All seemed to be going well, but then came a problem. The Raptors had to commit in writing to assume any risk of penalties Leonard might incur from the investigation. They unsurprisingly weren’t keen on that and put the trade on hold in July.
All parties involved just had to wait and see how the investigation panned out, and a bombshell would be dropped on Sept. 2. The Clippers were stripped of five first-round picks, and team owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million. Ballmer was also suspended from all league and team activities for a year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months.
These suspensions for Ballmer and Frank are reportedly why the Leonard trade hasn’t been finalized yet. The Clippers are still sorting out their front office situation, and that shouldn’t take much longer.
While the NBA came down hard on the Clippers, Leonard only had to pay $700,000 in restitution. The seven-time All-Star released a statement soon after in which he took full responsibility for the lapses in judgment by people in his inner circle.
Leonard also mentioned a return to Toronto in that statement, indicating he was confident that the trade was going through. It’s just a matter of time.
Now, if you’re wondering why Leonard is in Miami, he reportedly is among an organized minicamp of Raptors players. A picture has now also gone viral of the two-time NBA champion working out with the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Jon Lee.
Raps S&C coach Jon Lee already working with Kahwi https://t.co/zjosp3E9us pic.twitter.com/IQRVk5tn1S
— Stevie (@RaptorsShaq) September 9, 2026
As for what the Raptors would be getting, Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Clippers in 2025-26. He was named an All-Star and also made the All-NBA Second Team. If the injury bug stays away, expect Leonard to dominate on the court in 2026-27.