Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor again. The trade that had sat in limbo for two months while the NBA investigated the Clippers over alleged salary cap circumvention was made official on Monday, and fresh reporting has laid out just how narrow the field was of teams Leonard would let take him.
Speaking on TSN, ESPN’s Shams Charania said other clubs had done the work to move for the 35-year-old forward.
“There were teams, Detroit, Minnesota, others that had interest in trading for him, that wanted to trade for him, that wanted to give him an extension,” Charania said, as reported by Yardbarker.
Leonard held the leverage. He had one year left on his deal, and he used it to filter which team would land him.
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“But he made a decision because he had one year left on his deal to essentially weed out where he wanted to play, where he wanted to be. And so this is a legacy play for Kawhi Leonard. There’s no doubt about it,” Charania said.
The Clippers pay for keeping him
Los Angeles sent Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a first-round pick swap in 2027 and two second-rounders in 2030 and 2033, confirmed in the NBA’s release. Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 65 games in his final Clippers season.
The framework had been agreed in late June and only closed once the league finished its investigation into whether LA funnelled money to Leonard through no-show endorsement arrangements. The penalties fell on the Clippers, including five lost draft picks and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster leaned into the 2019 title in the team’s statement.
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“We’re thrilled to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto. His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship mindset that we value,” Webster said.
Only two doors were open
Per Charania, Leonard was only willing to talk extension with Toronto and San Antonio, the two franchises where he had already won NBA titles. San Antonio never engaged in the trade market, which effectively left the Raptors as the only fit.
Detroit and Minnesota built packages anyway, both prepared to guarantee Leonard money past the current season. Neither carried championship history with him, and that was Charania’s whole point.
Toronto still has an open 14th roster spot to fill before the regular season, with Andre Jackson Jr. among the names in the mix.
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