Reports of the Raptors’ intentions to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, two second-round picks, and a 2027 pick swap to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard first surfaced on June 30. The trade promised to alter the Eastern Conference landscape and move the Raptors several steps closer to title contention.
Over a month later, the trade still isn’t official. The Raptors opted to wait until the NBA’s investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap by funneling money to Leonard through fake endorsement deals is over. They chose not to complete the trade without knowing whether Leonard would have to face any repercussions.
With every day that the wait stretches on—for fans and players alike—the pressure increases. After more than a month, it’s not just about getting Leonard, keeping him healthy, and proving that it was worth giving up future draft picks. It’s also about showing fans that the excruciating wait and uncertainty were worth it—assuming that the trade goes through eventually, of course.
The Raptors have a lot riding on this trade
Trying to trade for Leonard is a big swing. He would be the perfect co-star for Scottie Barnes, but he is also 35 years old, has a bad injury history, and hasn’t won a playoff series in years. The front office needs that to change. It needs Leonard to join the Raptors before the season, be healthy, and deliver postseason success.
If the trade doesn’t go through, Bobby Webster will have some uncomfortable questions to answer, especially if he cannot salvage it with another move to improve the team. The same applies if Leonard is never healthy enough to make a difference or continues his streak of no postseason success.
The last time he won a playoff series was in 2021 when he and Paul George took the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with an ACL injury and lost in the first round for three years in a row after his return. This year, the Clippers lost in the play-in tournament and didn’t even make the playoffs.
The Kawhi Leonard saga is a bad look for the Clippers, the Raptors, and the NBA
There really are no winners in the ongoing Kawhi Leonard saga. The Raptors’ front office is looking increasingly bad for going all-in on Leonard when there was so much uncertainty around his situation and other organizations weren’t even willing to get involved.
The Clippers, of course, look bad because they are being accused of circumventing the salary cap. The league, meanwhile, has already received a lot of bad press because the investigation is taking so long and is now holding up offseason business for several teams.
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