The future of Kawhi Leonard has been cleared in one stroke. If months ago we learned that the Clippers and the Raptors had closed his return to Canada via a trade, something that was put on hold while the punishment in the Aspiration case was revealed, now the NBA’s ruling on this, and the exoneration of the two-time champion, makes the execution of the move imminent.
Far from a possible suspension ahead of the 2026-27 season, the League announced that Leonard’s penalty would be limited to a payment of $700,000 to the League for not having reimbursed the payments made by the Clippers at the time for personal expenses. More plainly: he gets off easy while the Clippers face a very harsh sanction.
With those data known and confirmed on the table, Shams Charania of ESPN states that everything is in motion for the Toronto trade to be completed almost immediately; furthermore, he emphasizes that this was precisely what the Canadians needed to close the agreement, and that it is now expected to be finalized in the coming days.
Kawhi Leonard Takes the Trade as a Given
Beyond what appears in the press or what any of us might think, the reality is that it has been Leonard himself who, in his statement after the NBA decision, spoke already as a Toronto Raptors player. «As I return to Toronto, I focus on what I can control, on closing this chapter and on starting from scratch».
It is worth recalling that this swap would send Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to the Clippers, along with the Raptors’ unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, the second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a pick swap in 2027.
Since the Angelenos will lose five first-round picks as a result of their violations related to the salary cap, those first-round picks of the Raptors could prove crucial for the rebuild. If the trade goes through as planned, those Toronto picks will be the only first-round selections that the Clippers will control between 2030 and 2033.
