Reports: Kawhi Leonard trade moving ahead

TORONTO – The Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to complete a trade to send star forward Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, according to multiple media reports.

Reports say the trade will be made official pending a trade call. Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report the agreement.

The Raptors offered no comment on the reported trade Monday.

The deal would see L.A. get all-star forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks in return.

The deal had been on hold while the NBA investigated Leonard and the Clippers for salary-cap circumvention.

The league completed its investigation on Sept. 2, fining Leonard US$700,000 but declining to suspend him or void his contract.

Although the deal had not been officially submitted to the league while the investigation was underway, Leonard, Ingram and Dick tried to participate with their new teams as much as NBA rules allowed.

Leonard sat in the front row at Kyle Lowry’s July 7 news conference at OVO Athletic Centre, where Lowry announced he would retire as a member of the Raptors. Ingram attended a Clippers summer league game in Las Vegas on July 10.

The 35-year-old Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game last season for the Clippers in 2025-26.

Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his one season in Toronto, but was injured 11 minutes into Game 5 of the Raptors’ first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He underwent right heel surgery on May 8.

Dick took a step back in his third NBA season, averaging 14 minutes per game in 2025-26, averaging six points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists, all career lows.

Leonard was the central player in the Raptors’ 2019 championship run, but spent just one season with the club before joining his hometown Clippers as a free agent.

Once the trade is completed, Leonard is expected to speak to reporters at the Raptors’ media day on Sept. 28.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.