The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. The deal returns Leonard to the team where he won a championship in 2019. His seven-year stint in Los Angeles ends amid ongoing league scrutiny.
The Clippers announced the agreement to send Leonard back to Toronto, where he led the Raptors to their first title. Leonard's time with the Clippers featured frequent injuries and limited playoff success.
He played in 331 of 554 possible regular-season games across seven seasons. The team reached the Western Conference Finals once in 2021, but Leonard missed that series due to a torn ACL.
The franchise remains under investigation for allegedly circumventing the salary cap through a no-show endorsement deal with the bankrupt company Aspiration. Leonard and his advisor were interviewed as part of the probe, which the league has described as far along but ongoing.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had expressed high hopes for titles upon Leonard's arrival in 2019. The team made the playoffs in five of Leonard's seasons but never advanced past the second round when he was fully healthy.
