In a blockbuster move, the Raptors have reunited with their 2019 NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard. The NBA is crazy.
Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors has been agreed to, sources tell ESPN. The Clippers will receive unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, 2030 and 2033 second-round picks and a 2027 first-round swap. https://t.co/q6uJuC8LxX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2026
The Raptors clearly feel as though their successful season was no fluke. They are looking to build this roster to compete as early as next season. This move will certainly achieve that.
Kawhi Leonard will always be associated with risk. He is one of the most injury-prone superstars in recent memory. He has played in 70 games just twice in his 14-year career. Yet Raptors fans know better than most what type of player a healthy Kawhi Leonard can be: the best player on a championship team.
Similar to when they traded for Leonard in 2018, he is in the final year of his contract. This time, however, Kawhi has expressed interest in signing an extension and possibly closing out his NBA career in Toronto. The Raptors also gave up Brandon Ingram, a player who was instrumental in the Raptors’ success this season.
Brandon Ingram was great, but Kawhi Leonard was even better
Ingram became the 10th Raptor to be named to the All-Star Game and was the leading scorer on the team during the regular season.
As good of a season as Ingram had in Toronto, Leonard’s past season was on another level. He averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. His defense is not quite the same as it was 10 years ago, but he is still a very good defender. Leonard was named to the All-NBA Second Team for his stellar year.
The picks that Toronto gave up could be significant. They are unprotected picks in 2031 and 2033. Who knows what the NBA landscape will look like by then? Those picks are valuable assets, but this is the price of acquiring an NBA superstar. Toronto has a young core that should still be relevant four to six years from now.
This is a big gamble to make given Leonard’s health, but it shows that this front office is not complacent. They will make big trades when they feel they can improve the roster. That is what they did when they first acquired Ingram, and it is what they did again with this trade.
The success of the Toronto Raptors is now based on playoff results. If Toronto gets through the regular season healthy, then it has a great shot at making a deep postseason run with this talented roster. Time will tell what happens, but the Raptors have clearly decided they are ready to take another major swing.
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