The Toronto Raptors are trying to trade for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Toronto acquired Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018 and Leonard guided the franchise to the 2019 championship against the Golden State Warriors.
In the summer of 2019, Leonard left the Raptors for the Clippers, who acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard and George were teammates in Los Angeles for five seasons before George left the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2024.
The Clippers, who traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers this past season, have never made the NBA Finals in franchise history. Leonard has one year left on his contract. He will make $50.3 million next season.
“LA and Toronto discussed a deal over the past couple of weeks, as Leonard’s reps informed other teams he only wanted to sign an extension with the Raptors if the Clippers were not going to keep him, sources said,” Charania wrote. “He had preferred to stay with the Clippers, but the franchise made no long-term commitment to him this offseason, sources said. Leonard has only the 2026-27 season left on his contract at $50.3 million.
A future Hall of Famer, Leonard put up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this past season. The swingman played in 65 games, the most games he’s played in since the 2023-24 season.
However, the Clippers missed the playoffs after losing to the Warriors in the 9-10 play-in game at home.
A top-75 player of all time, Leonard has played for the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He holds career averages of 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season and 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the playoffs.
Leonard is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Star. He is 35 years old.
It will be intriguing to see if the Clippers trade or keep Leonard, who has been interviewed by NBA investigators as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations that LAC circumvented the salary cap to compensate him.
The Raptors lost to the Cavaliers in the first round of this year’s playoffs in seven games. Could Leonard come back to Toronto and lead the franchise to another championship? Only time will tell.
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