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Why Nick Wright ‘loves’ Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard trade return from Raptors
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The Los Angeles Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, receiving a solid haul including players and picks. With the franchise resetting itself in a post-Leonard era, famed sports analyst Nick Wright reveals why he loves this deal for L.A.
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In the latest episode of the "What's Wright? With Nick Wright " podcast, the Fox Sports analyst explains how the Clippers are big winners after trading the 35-year-old forward to Toronto. He loves that Los Angeles was able to find immediate help while acquiring future assets.
"I think the Clippers got great returns for a 35-year-old with massive injury risk to get Brandon Ingram on a reasonable contract, Grady Dick, two firsts, and a swap. I love that return," said Wright. "And if you're the Raptors, you hope and pray that for the first time since Kawhi's first year with the Clippers that he can get through a playoff run past the first round and be healthy."
The 14-year veteran is coming off arguably the best season of his career. Kawhi Leonard finished the 2025-26 campaign averaging 27.9 points (career-high), 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest while shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from deep. Leonard also played 65 games, the fifth-most in a single season in his career.
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Although it was a fantastic year for the seven-time All-Star, Leonard is considered an aging vet. On top of important draft capital that will only increase in value as time goes on, the Clippers acquired both Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick in the trade.
Ingram, who is 28 years old, is a consistent scorer who helps with rebounding as well. The 10-year veteran ended last season playing 77 games, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists with a 47.7% field goal percentage and hitting 38.2% of his three-point attempts. His efforts were good enough to give him the second All-Star nod of his career.
As for Dick, Los Angeles may be a place where he can finally flourish. After playing a starting role in the 2024-25 campaign, the former first-round pick took a step back last season, playing the least amount of minutes in his career so far (14.0). In three seasons in the NBA, Gradey Dick is averaging 9.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
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