After over two months of being in the hopper, the trade between the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers regarding Kawhi Leonard is official.
Following the conclusion of the investigation regarding the Clippers' salary cap circumvention, the Raptors have agreed to send Brandon Ingram , Gradey Dick , and draft compensation to Los Angeles for Leonard . ESPN insider Shams Charania was the first to report the news.
The Raptors have built their entire offseason around this trade that was not official by any means. This is a major sigh of relief for the Toronto front office, as Leonard is now cleared to report to Quebec City for training camp at the end of the month.
The Raptors have been under the impression that this trade would go through in due time, but did not receive official word until just now.
With the move, Toronto becomes an instant title contender in the Eastern Conference alongside the New York Knicks , Boston Celtics , Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons .
The Pistons and Celtics were the top two teams in the East this past season. The Knicks are coming off an NBA championship, and the 76ers might be the most improved team in the league after trading for Jaylen Brown and acquiring LeBron James in free agency. Now, the Raptors find themselves in the mix of the top teams in the East.
The Raptors now have 13 contracts officially on the roster. Eventually, they will need to add a 14th player so that they can satisfy NBA rules. They have a couple of candidates that could fill in that gap in Andre Jackson Jr. , Malachi Smith and rookie centre Nate Bittle. They could also promote one of their two-way players, Chucky Hepburn , Trey Jemisin III, or Jaden Bradley , a second-round pick out of Arizona.
The Raptors will also keep an eye on the free agent market, just in case another player pops up. Someone like Bruce Brown , who played in Toronto from 2024 to 2025, could make sense as another option.
In the meantime, the Raptors are going to celebrate this long chapter now being over, and they can look forward to the regular season with a lot of momentum and excitement for what's coming.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/raptors/onsi as Raptors, Clippers Make Kawhi Leonard Trade Official .
