Clippers finalizing trade that sends Kawhi Leonard to Raptors in blockbuster NBA reunion

Kawhi Leonard is leaving Hollywood.In a stunning move, the Clippers have agreed to trade Leonard back to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, 2 first-round picks, 1 pick swap and 2 second-rounders, according to Shams Charania.The trade signals the end to one of the most dramatic NBA storylines of the 2020s.Leonard led the Raptors to their first NBA title in 2019, in which he capped off a legendary playoff run by defeating Steph Curry and the Warriors in six games — albeit without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the end due to injuries — to take home Finals MVP honors.He then left Toronto in free agency that summer and returned to his SoCal roots, where he signed a max contract with the Clippers.Los Angeles had also just traded for Paul George a few weeks earlier, signaling a new era for the Clippers where they looked like one of the best teams in the NBA.However, that never fully transpired.

Injuries to Leonard and George throughout their time together in Los Angeles proved futile as the Clippers never reached the NBA Finals once.The closest they came was in 2021, when they fell to the Suns in the Western Conference finals.Los Angeles is coming off a string of first-round playoff exits from 2023-25 before falling in the play-in to the Warriors this past season — signaling a shift from the front office that changes are needed despite what was said at the beginning of the offseason.“Our plan is to win with Kawhi,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said after the loss to the Warriors.

“We obviously showed as an organization that we want to continue and we are driven to win.So at the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan.

And if our goals are aligned, then we’d like to win with Kawhi.”One of the league’s most enigmatic stars, Leonard is coming off a career year with Los Angeles.He averaged a career-high 27.9 points while playing in 65 games, just the second tim...