Kawhi Leonard is reportedly on his way back to the Toronto Raptors in a move that immediately becomes one of the biggest swings of the NBA offseason.
As spotted on ESPN, Shams Charania reports that the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to trade Leonard back to Toronto, where he delivered the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2019. The reported deal sends Leonard to the Raptors, while the Clippers are set to receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a 2027 first-round pick swap.
At the time of this report, neither the Raptors nor Clippers have officially announced the trade. Still, the reporting is coming from Charania, one of the league’s most plugged-in insiders, and multiple outlets have since followed with details on the blockbuster move.
For Toronto, this is not just a splashy trade. It is a full-circle moment. Leonard’s first run with the Raptors was short, but it remains the most important stretch in franchise history. After being acquired from the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the 2018-19 season, Leonard helped lead Toronto through a legendary playoff run that included “The Shot” against the Philadelphia 76ers, a comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks, and a six-game NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors.
Leonard was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the championship series. Across that postseason, he averaged 30.5 points and scored 732 total points, one of the highest single-playoff scoring totals in league history. The Raptors won the title. Toronto went into full celebration mode. Then Leonard left that same summer to join the Clippers, turning his lone season in Canada into one of the most successful one-year rentals the league has ever seen.
Now, seven years later, Leonard is reportedly heading back. The timing also adds another layer to the story. Leonard just celebrated his 35th birthday on June 29, and now appears to be entering a new chapter with the franchise where he became a Toronto sports legend. Reutersnoted that Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 65 games with the Clippers last season, showing he can still produce at an elite level when healthy.
Of course, no Raptors-related Kawhi news would feel complete without Drake entering the chat. The Toronto rapper and Raptors global ambassador reacted to the trade buzz on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself with Leonard and writing, “So is it kawhiYZ szn again,” along with several eyeball emojis, according to Bleacher Report.
The move would mark a major reset for both franchises. Toronto gets the return of the player who delivered its lone NBA championship, pairing Leonard’s playoff pedigree with a new Raptors core. Los Angeles, meanwhile, moves on from the Kawhi era with Ingram, Dick and significant draft capital as it reshapes its future. Again, until the teams make it official, the proper wording is “reportedly.” But based on the sourcing, Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto reunion looks very real.
