The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are deeply involved in trade talks for NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, sources tell ESPN.
Los Angeles and Toronto have been discussing a deal over the past few weeks as Leonard’s representatives told other teams that he only wanted to sign a contract extension with the Raptors if the Clippers weren’t going to keep him, sources said. He chose to remain with the Clippers, but the franchise did not make any long-term commitment to him this offseason, sources said. Leonard’s $50.3 million contract has only the 2026-27 season remaining.
The deal will mark the return to Canada of the star who led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title, winning Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points in a series win over the Golden State Warriors. Leonard, who was traded to the Raptors by the San Antonio Spurs in July 2018, played just one season in Toronto before leaving as a free agent to join the Clippers. The two-time Finals MVP turns 35 on Monday.
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Leonard was a three-time All-Star for the Clippers and is coming off a career in which he averaged 27.9 points and played 65 regular-season games. This was only his second season in which he played at least 60 games after the 2018–19 season in Toronto. He finished seventh in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, his fourth NBA MVP award with Los Angeles. However, the Clippers went 42–40 and lost in the play-in tournament to the Warriors.
The deal would mark a turning point for the Clippers and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, who said at his post-season news conference in April that he wanted to keep Leonard.
“Our plan is to win with Kawhi,” he said. “We as an organization have obviously shown that we want to continue and are committed to winning. So at the appropriate time, we will sit down with Kawhi and, just like in 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals coincide, then we would like to win with Kawhi.”
The NBA is also investigating the Clippers over whether they circumvented the salary cap by funneling money to Leonard through his $28 million endorsement deal with green banking company Aspiration, which also gave the team a 23-year, $300 million contract. Team owner Steve Ballmer, who invested $60 million in Aspiration, denies knowing about Leonard’s deal.
Leonard, his uncle and business consultant Dennis Robertson were interviewed by investigators as part of the league’s probe, according to people with direct knowledge of the investigation.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said before the start of the NBA Finals that it was time to “conclude (the investigation).”
“The investigation was conducted by a law firm independent of the NBA,” Silver said June 3. “Yes, we end up paying their bills, but they are doing the work independently of the league office, and my guidance to them is we can’t keep this investigation going forever, but at some point we have to complete it. But at the same time, the most important thing is that we do everything right.”
For the Raptors, trading Leonard would be an attempt to return to the top division of the Eastern Conference. Since Leonard’s departure (in 2020), they have won just one playoff series and finished last season 40-36, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, if Leonard is traded, he would immediately be eligible to sign a two-year contract extension with his new team worth $123.7 million.