Despite being in the middle of a cap circumvention investigation and one of the few teams involved, the Toronto Raptors invested heavily in Kawhi Leonard. Toronto got the two-time champion, and they gave the LA Clippers Brandon Ingram (injured with a partially torn Achilles), Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap, and two second-round picks.
Unfortunately, shortly after the regular season kicked off, news broke that Leonard is expected to miss a “period of weeks,” according to Shams Charania, due to swelling in his left knee. As one might imagine, this doesn't make their trade look good, as they shipped a combination of valuable players and quality draft compensation to position themselves to win a title.
So far, the Clippers look to be winning the blockbuster offseason trade involving Kawhi Leonard
Had Kawhi Leonard been on a tear for the Raptors, the early winners of the blockbuster trade with the LA Clippers would undoubtedly have been Toronto. In fact, the Clippers might've wished they extended him.
However, that simply hasn’t been the case. Leonard has averaged 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games, which isn’t necessarily bad, but he’s shooting an atrocious 32.4% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. This is not like the seven-time All-Star, especially compared to what we’ve seen from him in a Clippers uniform.
To add insult to injury, Leonard is basically without a timetable to return. Shams Charania’s report suggests he’ll be back at some point in the near future. That could be a few weeks, or even months; no one on the outside really knows.
That’s bad enough for the Raptors, and on the Clippers side, Brandon Ingram might still be recovering, but Gradey Dick has been sensational in three games.
He’s averaging 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds, shooting 57.1% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc, while playing a level of defense the Clippers have really needed. Dick is also making the scrappy, hustle plays no one typically wants to do, and they've created extra possessions.
And we can’t forget about the picks. As mentioned above, the Raptors gave up a lot of them, and depending on how the future unfolds, they could become extremely valuable.
That said, right now the Clippers definitely have the edge over the Raptors in terms of who won the trade surrounding Leonard. That could change, and as time passes, we’ll get more confirmation.
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