20:24: Roughly two and a half months after the two teams initially agreed to terms, the trade has become official, the Raptors confirmed in a press release.
“We are very excited to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto” general director and executive vice president Bobby Webster the statement said. “His impact on our organization, our city and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship spirit we value. We believe his leadership, experience and talent will help us as we continue to build toward the next championship.”
The Clippers’ own press release announcing the trade did not contain any additional statements from team executives.
13:58: Clippers and Predators agreed to move forward on the trade to send Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto and Brandon Ingram, Grady Dickand a handful of draft assets in Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Link to Twitter).
The two teams are now working on planning a trade call with the NBA, Charanya adds. NBA insider Jake Fisher confirms Charanya’s report (via Twitter).
A source tells Law Murray of The Athletic that the terms of the trade remain unchanged (Link to Twitter). That means the Raptors get Leonard and the Clippers get Ingram, Dick, the Raptors’ 2031 first-round pick, the Raptors’ 2033 pick, the Raptors’ 2030 second-round pick, the Raptors’ 2033 second-round pick, and the right to trade picks in the first round with the Raptors in 2027.
Athletic informed on Monday, people close to Leonard expect the deal to be completed soon. The owner of the clipper Steve Ballmer‘s acceptance fines by the NBA for circumventing the salary cap — after the initial threat of litigation — appears to have cleared the way for the trade to be completed.
Initially two teams agreed to the deal in late June, but Toronto suspended him on July 9 out of concern that the investigation could lead to Leonard’s suspension or possibly voiding his contract. He received a relatively light punishment — he was ordered to pay the league $700,000 — while his playing status was not affected.
Clippers CEO Trent Redden According to Fisher, he confirmed with the Raptors on Monday that the trade is moving forward.Link to Twitter). Redden is expected to lead the Los Angeles front office while Ballmer is suspended for a year and will serve as president of basketball Lawrence Frank suspended for six months as part of punishment for circumventing the salary cap. The Clippers also lost five first-round picks, so adding two from Toronto would help improve the team’s long-term prospects.
Leonard made the NBA Second Team last season, averaging a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals on a stellar .505/.387/.892 shooting line in 65 games (32.1 minutes per game). The two-time Finals MVP has an expiring $50.3 million contract and is expected to sign with Toronto — the maximum he can earn is $126 million over two years. tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
A source told Sportsnet.ca’s Blake Murphy that Leonard will give up 15% of his trade kickers as part of the deal (Link to Twitter).
Ingram made his second All-Star appearance in 2025/26, his first full year in Toronto after missing the second half of 24/25. He is owed $40 million this season and has a $41.9 million player option for ’27/28.
Meanwhile, Dick is a former lottery pick who struggled for much of last season after averaging 14.4 ppg in 24/25. He is eligible for a rookie-scale extension through Oct. 19, but will likely enter the opening night on an expiring deal. He will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he is not extended this fall.
Our original trade story, which reveals more details about Leonard’s desire to return to Toronto, may be found here.
