Photo credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
The wait is finally over. Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor once again.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors have both agreed to complete the trade to send Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto as originally agreed to.
“Done deal: The LA Clippers and Raptors have both agreed to complete the trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders, per ESPN sources. The sides will now schedule a trade call.” – via Shams Charania
Done deal: The LA Clippers and Raptors have both agreed to complete the trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders, per ESPN sources. The sides will now schedule a… pic.twitter.com/c0lk5xUGJG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 14, 2026
It’s been 76 days since the two sides initally agreed to a trade to send the 2x Finals MVP back to Toronto, however the trade was paused amid an NBA investigation into salary cap circumvention. The results of that investigation were published on September 2nd and while Leonard got off relatively easy, the Clippers were fined $30 million, forfeited five first round picks, and saw suspensions for their top executives Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Gillian Zucker.
Since the announcement of the punishment, there had been rampant speculation as to why the trade still hadn’t been completed. Rumours swirled that the Clippers may try to spite Leonard. While others pointed to the fact that the Clippers simply didn’t have a decision-maker in place given the suspensions, and they had to organize their front office before the deal could be finalized. The latter seems to be true, as Charania reported that the Clippers “utilized the last 13 days to absorb the league’s punishment and work through internal logistics.”
After what’s felt like a lifetime of waiting, Leonard is a Raptor once again (technically the trade call still needs to be scheduled, but it’s done). Thus we can finally put this saga to rest, move on, and focus on the basketball side of it all, which is admittedly, very exciting.