The Los Angeles Clippers can end the Kawhi Leonard era for good once the agreed-upon trade with the Raptors goes through. Not only will it give LA draft assets that it could use after being docked five first-round picks as one of the penalties issued by the league as a result of the cap circumvention scandal, which would be a huge win, but the team could also come out on top of Toronto in the end.
The Raptors agreed to trade Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks to the Clippers for Leonard. Assuming that construction, or something like it, is the one the two sides agree to again, Los Angeles will be better off.
However, you can understand Toronto's reasoning behind agreeing to acquire Leonard, as it should elevate the team up the standings to a position where it can compete with top teams like New York.
The Raptors' defense will benefit from having Kawhi, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles on the floor, and, of course, they'll have their go-to scorer back in Leonard, who averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game last season. Toronto's vision makes sense.
But what if it doesn't play out the way the Raptors hope it will?
You can say that about any deal that happens in the NBA, but agreeing to give up that much for a 35-year-old with a concerning injury history could come back to bite Toronto.
Kawhi Leonard trade plays in the Clippers' favor
Leonard played six seasons in Los Angeles, and the furthest the team ever got in the playoffs with him (and Paul George) was in 2021, when it came up short against Phoenix in the conference finals. The Clippers mortgaged their future (literally) by bringing Kawhi to LA, a stain that can never be removed, but the fact that they can get the return package the Raptors agreed to is a win in itself.
The highlight, of course, is the two unprotected first-round picks, since the Clippers won't have their own picks in 2031 and 2033. That alone makes trading Leonard worth it, but there's more to it than the assets.
Ingram is the top player Los Angeles will receive, and Jake Fischer recently said on a Bleacher Report livestream that he's received "no indication" that the Clippers will try to move the 29-year-old. That makes it sound like he'll start the season in LA, which was already expected, given how long the deal has been in limbo.
Perhaps the front office will try to move him before the February deadline, or wait until next offseason, when Ingram will have a $41.9 million player option for 2027-28 that he'll likely pick up. The Clippers will benefit if he can increase his trade value.
Gradey Dick, the No. 13 pick in 2023, will give Los Angeles young talent to evaluate, as the 22-year-old is entering the final year of his current contract. He's coming off a down season, averaging 6.0 points (he averaged 14.4 points in 2024-25) and 1.9 rebounds in just 14 minutes per game for the Raptors across 76 games.
He could help the Clippers by building on the 36.5% and 35% he shot from deep in his first two seasons in the league, as he shot just 30.1% from three on 2.4 attempts per contest last season. Regardless of what happens or how long he stays in Los Angeles, it doesn't hurt for the team to have more young talent in the mix.
Clippers could be winners of the Kawhi Leonard trade
The Leonard era in Los Angeles will never be erased from the minds of Clippers fans, but how the trade pans out, as the expectation still is that it will go through, will put Los Angeles in a much better light than it is standing in now.
For Toronto to win the trade, it will need to reach title status again with Leonard, as it's very unlikely the Raptors can flip Kawhi for anything close to what they gave up for him. They're not even thinking about doing that, anyway. He's expected to sign an extension once the trade is official, which could become an even bigger future problem for the organization.
At least the Clippers won't have to worry about that. They have their own issues to work out, of course, but putting the cap circumvention scheme aside, Los Angeles will look pretty good for walking away from Kawhi with that haul from Toronto.
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