TORONTO — The previously agreed-upon trade sending Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers back to the Toronto Raptors will go through, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, returning the star to the franchise where he won the 2019 NBA championship. Toronto will send 2031 and 2033 unprotected first-round selections and a 2027 first-round swap to Los Angeles, along with second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 and forwards Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick.
The deal proceeds even as the NBA stripped the Clippers of five first-round selections — their own picks in 2031 and 2033, along with 2029, 2030 and 2032 — as part of its penalty following an investigation into salary-cap circumvention. The league found Leonard received impermissible benefits, including being paid $28 million for a "no-show job," as a way of circumventing the NBA salary cap. Despite losing their own picks, the Clippers will still receive the two unprotected first-rounders from the Raptors included in the trade.
"As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate," Leonard said in a statement released after the NBA handed down its punishment to the Clippers.
Ingram, 29, averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 38% on 3-pointers after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans, and signed a three-year, $120 million contract extension shortly after joining Toronto. Dick, who turns 23 in November and is entering his fourth NBA season, was the Raptors' 2023 first-round pick at No. 13 overall out of Kansas. He averaged 14.4 points and shot 35% on 3s in his second season before his scoring dropped to 6.0 points per game and 30% shooting from long range last season.
The seven-time All-Star is expected to sign a contract extension with the Raptors, which the Clippers were not interested in doing. He is in the final year of his contract, which is set to expire after this season, making the Toronto return both a reunion and a reset.