The LA Clippers folded to Kawhi Leonard's requests, or should I say Uncle Dennis' requests, since Kawhi was apparently unaware of what was going on. That decision had consequences that went far beyond failing to win a championship, including losing five first-round picks as a result of the cap-circumvention investigation. Believe it or not, it could've been worse, as LA could've extended him this offseason.
As Marc Stein of The Stein Line wrote on Sunday, the Clippers' unwillingness to extend Leonard is what led to trade discussions (subscription required).
The Clippers, sources say, were not willing to offer an extension to Leonard beyond his $50.3 million contract for the 2026-27 season, which was the initial spark that led to trade talks with the Raptors before the summerlong wait for a resolution to the NBA's yearlong external investigation commissioned to address allegations of salary cap circumvention by the Clippers.
LA had no idea what was coming for it at the start of the offseason, with Steve Ballmer and the organization maintaining their innocence throughout the investigation. The Clippers could easily have paid Kawhi what he wanted to keep him around, but little did they know how important it would be not to, and to agree to trade him to the Raptors instead.
Extending Kawhi would've been disastrous
The Clippers received Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks from the Raptors in exchange for Leonard. That looks a lot better than a two-year extension in the $126 million range, doesn't it?
LA had no reason to keep Leonard around, even if the cap-circumvention scandal never happened, since it still would've been a long shot for the Clippers to make the West. It was time to end that chapter, and luckily, they were able to do that before everything hit the fan.
Raptors are nearing an extension with Kawhi
As Stein highlighted, Jake Fischer reported last week for The Stein Line that Toronto and Leonard had "held advanced discussions" about an extension and were "nearing an agreement" (subscription required). That hasn't happened yet, but it's coming.
Toronto felt that reuniting with Kawhi was the move it needed to build a championship-caliber roster, and the reasoning makes sense, but it could also hurt the Raptors more than it helps. That will be even more true when he signs an extension, as let's not forget that he is 35 years old. He averaged 27.9 points per game last season in 65 games, but there's no guarantee that trend will continue (see the Sixers and Paul George after they signed him in 2024). It's quite the gamble.
Between what the Raptors gave up for him and the extension he's sure to sign, Clippers fans can at least feel even better about Leonard no longer being in LA. He's Toronto's problem now.
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