The Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto is finally official, and nothing is left to hold it up. The Raptors confirmed Monday night that the deal is complete, months after both sides first shook hands on it.
How the Kawhi Leonard Trade Finally Closed
Toronto sends 2031 and 2033 unprotected first-round picks to Los Angeles, along with a 2027 first-round swap. The Clippers also add second-round selections in 2030 and 2033, plus forward Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick.
Notably, the Clippers still collect those two Raptors first-rounders even though the NBA separately stripped the franchise of five of its own first-round picks, in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, as punishment stemming from the league’s salary cap investigation.
That probe centered on claims Leonard collected $28 million for a no-show job tied to a marketing arrangement, a scheme the league said let the Toronto Raptors‘ new addition dodge the salary cap when he first signed with the Clippers back in 2019.
Clippers Face the Fallout
Owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and banned from team activities for a year. Lawrence Frank drew a six-month unpaid suspension, while Gillian Zucker received a full year without pay.
Leonard himself was fined $700,000, and his uncle Dennis Robertson was barred from future business dealings with the NBA. Ballmer said over the weekend that he would accept the punishment rather than fight it.
In Toronto, Ingram averaged 21.5 points last season after arriving from New Orleans, and quickly signed a three-year, $120 million extension. Dick, entering his fourth year after Kansas, saw his scoring dip to 6.0 points per game following a stronger sophomore season.
Leonard called it a chance for a clean slate, while general manager Bobby Webster said the seven-time All-Star’s competitiveness fits exactly what the Raptors are building toward. With the Kawhi Leonard trade finally behind him, he steps into a $50 million contract year that could define his second act in Toronto, with an extension expected to follow.
