Clippers, Raptors agree to Kawhi Leonard trade again: Toronto finally poised to move forward as East contender

After trading for Kawhi Leonard on June 30, the Toronto Raptors can finally breathe easy. The deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, which was on ice for more than two months while the NBA's investigation into Leonard and the Clippers played out, has been agreed to again, per ESPN. The deal is not yet official, but the two sides will schedule a trade call, per the report. 

In exchange for Leonard, the Raptors are sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a pick swap in 2027 and two second-rounders (2030 and 2033) to the Clippers. 

Those picks are big for the Clippers, who still owe three years of pick control to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers as part of the James Harden acquisition and were just stripped of five of their own first-round picks from 2029 to 2033 as a result of the league determining that they did, in fact, circumvent the salary cap in directing Leonard more money than they were legally allowed to by way endorsements. 

The Clippers released a statement Sunday night accepting the NBA's penalties, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer said they are "committing to put this chapter behind us." The statement came before the two-day NBA owners meetings in New York this week.

Clippers, Steve Ballmer back down and accept NBA penalties -- does that mean they'll get any picks back? Sam Quinn

But Leonard heading back to Toronto is the headline and the foremost concern, of course, is his health, which is always a cross-your-fingers situation. The Raptors will be holding their organizational breath every minute that he is under contract with them. 

As for that, at present, Leonard is entering the last year of his current deal and is owed $50 million in 2026-27, but he is expected to sign an extension with Toronto, as that was one of the unspoken reasons they made the trade in the first place. Leonard largely had control over his destination by designating which teams he would remain with beyond this coming season. 

How does Kawhi fit with the Raptors?

The good news is Leonard is coming off his healthiest and arguably best regular season in nearly a decade. He played in 65 games last season and looked every bit the part of one of the best players in the league, finishing seventh in MVP voting and earning All-NBA second-team honors. 

Leonard is exactly the type of alpha scorer who will allow Scottie Barnes, a rapidly ascending star in his own right who was nonetheless overtasked as a late-game bucket getter, to slide into his more natural Scottie Pippen role without the Michael Jordan responsibility, which can now be left to Leonard, who's a far more effective pick-and-roll and isolation scorer in terms of crunch-time offense you can count on. 

They'll have to figure out how to balance their preferred scoring zones. Barnes and Leonard take a lot of shots from a lot of the same spots. A big key will be Leonard's 3-point shooting, which remains a struggle for Barnes. Perhaps Leonard extends his offense beyond the arc more when both are on the floor, at least until the closing minutes, which will and should belong to Leonard. 

Either way, priority number one is sustaining Leonard's health over the long haul of an 82-game season and a playoff run. Barnes, both in Leonard lineups and, perhaps more importantly, in staggered minutes, is plenty capable of carrying a major offensive load as an emerging mid-range scorer who has already established himself as an elite passer. R.J. Barrett is also a 20-point scorer. 

Clippers under federal investigation for Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention, per report Brad Botkin

There's a lot to go around here. The Raptors flirted with a top-10 offense last season, but a huge chunk of their production came in transition, where, as it happens, Leonard thrives as well. Ingram was tabbed as the isolation scorer, particularly late in games, and for the most part, he did his job by averaging 21.5 points per game and making the All-Star team. But ultimately, his methodical DNA was a wonky fit on a team that wants to play fast and free; Toronto was nine points worse per 100 possessions when Ingram was on the floor last season, per Cleaning the Glass, and he was totally exposed in the playoffs as the Raptors were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Odds to win the Eastern Conference

As of Sept. 14 via Fanduel

• Knicks: +360 
• 76ers: +400 
• Celtics: +550 
• Raptors: +850 
• Pistons: +850 
• Cavaliers: +900 
• Heat:+1300 
• Magic: +1500 
• Pacers: +1600 
• Hawks: +1600

Replacing Ingram with Leonard levels up a team that just won 46 games with a top-six defense before pushing Cleveland to seven games. With Leonard aboard, Toronto has the makings of a contender in an Eastern Conference that has improved considerably as a whole.