Kawhi Leonard is officially returning to the Toronto Raptors. On Monday the franchise announced it has acquired the forward from the Los Angeles Clippers, completing a deal agreed at the end of June that had been frozen for more than two months while the NBA investigated the club over salary-cap circumvention.
In its final shape the trade sends Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks (2030 and 2033) to Los Angeles. CityNews, citing Sportsnet, reported that Leonard is waiving his entire 15 per cent trade bonus, a decision that spares Toronto from expanding the deal even though the Raptors remain hard-capped at the first apron.
"His impact on our organization, our city and our country is undeniable," said Raptors general manager and executive vice-president Bobby Webster, who added: "We believe his leadership, experience and talent will help us as we continue building toward our next championship." The Raptors also thanked Ingram and Dick for their contribution.
The announcement closes a saga that had put the trade on hold. On September 2 the league wrapped up an investigation by the law firm Wachtell Lipton, finding that the Clippers facilitated off-court endorsement agreements between Leonard and four companies doing business with the team (Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance), worth 66 million dollars to the player. The penalties were sweeping: five first-round picks forfeited from 2029 through 2033, a 30 million dollar fine for the team, one-year suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and for Gillian Zucker, six months for Lawrence Frank, and a 700,000 dollar fine for Leonard, who was neither suspended nor stripped of his contract. The Clippers said they rejected the findings, but Ballmer later accepted the punishment instead of pursuing litigation.
At 35, Leonard is back where he won the 2019 championship as Finals MVP. Last season was the best of his career: 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, a seventh place finish in MVP voting and a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. He joins a Toronto side that finished last season with the fifth-best defensive rating in the league, and he is expected to meet reporters at the club's media day on September 28.
Sources
- The Boston Globe — [Clippers and Raptors finally complete Kawhi Leonard trade](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/14/sports/kawhi-leonard-trade-clippers-raptors-nba/)
- CityNews Toronto — [Raptors announce Kawhi Leonard Trade](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/14/raptors-announce-kawahi-leonard-trade/)
- Los Angeles Times — [NBA hammers Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard](https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2026-09-02/nba-investigation-findings-clippers-steve-ballmer-kawhi-leonard-aspiration-salary-cap-circumvention)
