By admin 
After being put on hold for a little over two months, the Kawhi Leonard–Toronto Raptors trade has finally received the NBA’s green light. The process stalled because of an ongoing investigation by the NBA into the Los Angeles Clippers that had been underway for a year. The scandal centered around salary cap circumvention.
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In September 2025, award-winning American investigative journalist Pablo Torre broke the news of how the Clippers used off-court business entities and third-party sponsors to funnel tens of millions of dollars. He further shed light on the now-show endorsement deal between Kawhi and fintech company Aspiration.
The NBA investigated the matter and, after a year, found the Clippers and Leonard to be on the wrong side of the fence. Taking a bold stance, Commissioner Adam Silver levied a series of fines, penalties and suspensions on Steve Ballmer and Co. As for Kawhi, he was fined $700,000 but still received clearance for his trade to the Raptors.
Many felt Leonard got away with this one, especially since he now gets to return to the city that will forever be indebted to him, courtesy of the 2019 NBA championship.
Recently, sharing his thoughts on how people would eventually forget the controversies and scandals once Kawhi started playing for the Raptors, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon discussed why Toronto needed to tread carefully.
“The risk that the Raptors are taking with Kawhi has nothing to do with this entire investigation. It’s just Kawhi Leonard with his durability issues in his mid-30s, and you’re about to give him a fat extension. Like, how is that going to age?”
Kawhi and his injury woes
Often used as a poster boy for load management in the NBA, Leonard does have a reputation for missing games for mysterious reasons. There’s no denying the two-time champion has been dealing with serious knee issues in recent years, but the constant uncertainty around his availability, sometimes with no apparent reason, often fuels speculation.
In his seven seasons with the Clippers, Leonard missed 223 of 554 regular-season games and 15 of the 50 playoff games. Touted as one of the favorites to win it all, the Clippers won only three playoff series during the 213 era. It was a truly heartbreaking scenario for fans, who for the first time felt they could emerge from the shadow of their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Now, reuniting with the Raptors, Leonard has yet another opportunity to right the wrong. Not to mention that he no longer needs to be the No. 1 option every night, given the young talent on the roster. Set to earn $50 million this upcoming season, Toronto may prefer to adopt a wait-and-watch approach before offering Kawhi an extension.
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Raptors release official statement
After weeks of uncertainty, the Kawhi-Toronto reunion finally got the green light. The Raptors acquired Leonard from the Clippers in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round draft picks, one future first-round pick swap and two future second-round picks.
Reuniting after the 2019 championship run, Leonard played only one year in Toronto but made an impact for the ages. GM and Vice-President Bobby Webster recently released an official statement, welcoming the 2019 Finals MVP.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto. His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship mindset that we value,” stated Webster, adding that the 35-year-old’s leadership, experience and talent would help them build towards their next championship.
Related: Shams Charania on why Kawhi Leonard pushed for a return to Toronto: “This is a complete legacy play”
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 2:54 AM.