Raptors acquire Kawhi Leonard from Clippers following NBA probe

THE KLAW. Kawhi Leonard in action for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles Clippers Instagram page

Kawhi Leonard accepts full responsibility for what he called lapses ⁠in judgment by people within his inner circle

AT A GLANCE

• The Toronto Raptors finalized a trade for Kawhi Leonard, sending multiple players and draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers after a delay due to an NBA investigation into the Clippers' salary cap practices.
• The NBA found significant misconduct by the Clippers, resulting in a $30 million fine, loss of five first-round draft picks, and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer, who accepted responsibility for the situation.
• Kawhi Leonard, who previously led the Raptors to their only championship in 2019, expressed regret for lapses in judgment within his circle and had a standout season in 2025-2026, averaging 27.9 points.

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TORONTO, USA – The Toronto Raptors completed their trade for Kawhi Leonard on Monday, September 14, after previously putting the deal on hold while the NBA investigated the seven-time All-Star and Los Angeles Clippers over salary cap circumvention.

In exchange for Leonard, the Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round draft picks, one future first-round pick swap, and two future second-round picks to the Clippers.

The Raptors put the deal on hold in July after being told by the NBA they would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation affecting Leonard, who led Toronto to their only championship in 2019 before joining the Clippers.

As part of a year-long probe, the NBA looked into whether Leonard was paid by a now-bankrupt firm that had close ties to owner Steve Ballmer as a way to circumvent league rules restricting how much a team can spend on its player payroll.

Two weeks ago, the NBA said that an independent investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization.

It stripped the team of five first-round draft picks, imposed a $30 million fine and suspended Ballmer for a year, while Leonard was fined $700,000.

When the punishment was announced the Clippers said they “vehemently reject” the findings and that they would challenge them.

On Sunday, however, Ballmer said the team had communicated to the NBA that they would comply with the penalties and have paid the fine and are moving forward.

“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer said in a statement posted on the Clippers’ X account. “I want to apologize to our fans, employees and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and the distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”

Leonard, who accepted full responsibility for what he called lapses ⁠in judgment by people within his inner circle, averaged a career-high 27.9 points during the 2025-2026 season and finished seventh in MVP voting.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in a press release.

“His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship mindset that we value.” 

Leonard has averaged 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals over 798 games (769 starts) across 14 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs (2011-2018), Raptors (2018-2019) and Clippers (2019-2026).

Ingram, 29, was traded to Toronto ahead of the 2025-2026 season and averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while earning his second career All-Star nod. 

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has career averages of 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 572 games (533 starts) spanning 10 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers (2016-2019), New Orleans Pelicans (2019-2025) and Raptors.

Dick, 22, was the 13th overall pick by Toronto in 2023. He has averaged 9.2 points, and 2.5 rebounds and hit 34.3% of his three-point attempts over three seasons with the Raptors, although he averaged a career-worst 6.0 points and 30.1% shooting from outside the arc last season. – Rappler.com