Raptors’ deal for Kawhi Leonard is official, more than 2 months after it was first announced - Toronto Star

The deal was first announced June 30 but was put on hold as the investigation of the Clippers for salary cap circumvention continued.

Toronto has reacquired Kawhi Leonard. 

Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor. Finally. Officially. Again.

Through a protracted process that wended its way through an NBA salary cap contravention investigation that affected the very top of the L.A. Clippers’ hierarchy, Toronto has reacquired the veteran forward who was instrumental to the Raptors’ 2019 championship run.

Leonard comes back to Toronto coming off one of his best seasons in years.

In 65 regular-season games with the Clippers last season, he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game and shot 39 per cent from three-point range while averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.

Going into his 15th NBA season, the six-foot-six native of Los Angeles is a two-time defensive player of the year, a seven-time all-NBA team member and a two-time NBA Finals most valuable player. The second of those came in 2019 when he led Toronto to a six-game Finals win over the Golden State Warriors.

An approval trade call involving the Raptors, Clippers and league lawyers was held Monday night to finalize a deal originally agreed to in late June.

To get the 35-year-old Leonard, the Raptors are sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 and a possible swap of 2027 first-round draft picks to the Clippers.

“His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship mindset that we value,” Raptors general manager and executive vice-president Bobby Webster said in a release. “We believe his leadership, experience and talent will help us as we continue building toward our next championship. We also want to thank Brandon and Gradey and appreciate their work ethic, character, and basketball excellence they brought to our team every day.”

The approval call came after a final couple of hurdles were cleared in the last couple of days.

First, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said Sunday he would not challenge harsh penalties levied by the league for salary cap contravention moves involving Leonard and his last contract.

And Leonard, forced to repay $700,000 (U.S.) in ill-gotten gains in those deals, has signed off on forgoing a trade kicker on his current contract so the trade can fit under current rules, according to sources granted anonymity because they were speaking before the transaction was official.

Waiving the trade clause cost Leonard almost $8 million on next year’s salary but was necessary for the deal to work. Regardless, it puts the Raptors up against the salary cap first apron that limits such transactions as sign-and-trade deals, the use of current trade exceptions and the salary-matchings of other trades for now.

The parameters of the trade were not changed from the deal the teams agreed to in late June.

It was held up originally because the Raptors needed to be sure Leonard wouldn’t be suspended or his contract voided because of the investigation into salary cap contravention by the Clippers.

And when the Clippers were devastated by the league’s penalties — including suspensions for Ballmer and basketball head Lawrence Frank, a $30-million fine, and the loss of five first-round draft picks — the deal’s momentum slowed until the Clippers got their organization in order.

On Monday, with the league’s board of governors beginning two days of meetings in New York, it was easy to gather officials from the Raptors, Clippers and the league to get the process completed.

So the Raptors will finally add Leonard to the roster and can begin talks with him on a contract extension that will kick in for the 2027-28 season and could be worth up to $126 million over two years. The Raptors could insist the second year of the extension isn’t fully guaranteed and save the franchise money on the back end.

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Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on BlueSky: @smithraptorsbeat.bsky.social.