TORONTO – Kawhi Leonard appears poised to return to the Toronto Raptors seven years after leading Canada’s only NBA team to its lone championship, according to multiple media reports.
Reports say the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers are nearing completion of a blockbuster trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto.
Shams Charania of ESPN, who first reported the proposed deal, says Toronto would acquire Leonard in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game last season for Los Angeles.
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The oft-injured small forward has never played more than 74 games in a season and missed the entire 2021-22 campaign.
Leonard was the central player in the Raptors’ 2019 championship run, including a climactic buzzer beater to win Game 7 of Toronto’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia 76ers.
He signed with his hometown Clippers as a free agent that off-season, agreeing to a three-year, US$103 million contract.
After opting out of the final year of that contract, Leonard re-signed with the Clippers in August 2021 to a max four-year, $176.3 million contract with the fourth year being a player option. He missed the entire 2021-22 season, however, with a partial ACL tear in his right knee.
That contract has become embroiled in controversy after allegations emerged in September 2025 that Leonard signed a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with Aspiration, an environmental company that entered bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joe Sanberg was arrested and charged with fraud.
The alleged deal did not require any action on Leonard’s part, other than remaining with the Clippers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
