The city of Los Angeles has lost its two biggest basketball stars within hours of each other. First, LeBron James. Now, Kawhi Leonard.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Clippers ‘are nearing’ a deal to send Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks.
This officially closes a chapter on one of the NBA’s biggest swing-and-misses as Leonard never managed to meet the lofty goal of bringing the Clippers a title alongside friend and former teammate Paul George.
Now, per Charania, Leonard is viewing this deal as a chance to retire with the team he led to an upset NBA championship in 2019 over the then-powerhouse Golden State Warriors.
The ESPN insider added that he preferred to stay with the Clippers after his contract expired at the end of the season, but chose to move to Toronto when it was made clear that he had ‘no future’ in Los Angeles.
But this also comes at a time where Leonard and his dealings with the Clippers are under immense scrutiny over a scandal involving a deal he signed with the now-bankrupt environmental company Aspiration which is alleged to have been used to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is on the verge of returning to the Toronto Raptors
Leonard reportedly views this move as an opportunity to retire with the Raptors
Leonard led Toronto to an upset victory in the 2019 NBA Finals over the Golden State dynasty
Leonard moved to the Clippers just weeks after winning the 2019 title and earning Finals MVP with the Raptors to win the city’s first ‘Big Four’ pro sports title since the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.
His move to Los Angeles coincided with a trade the Clippers swung for Paul George, which has gone down as one of the most lopsided trades in league history.
In that trade to acquire George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers gave up a stunning five first-round picks as well as two first-round pick swaps along with player Danilo Gallinari. But the worst part was that Los Angeles sent over future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well.
George only lasted five seasons in Los Angeles after multiple injury-riddled campaigns alongside Leonard. Meanwhile, Leonard stayed with the Clippers while also dealing with injury after injury. This included Leonard missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season.
While the expectation was that Leonard and the Clippers would challenge for an NBA title, the reality was much less productive. In his seven seasons in Los Angels, the Clippers made the playoffs just five times and won only three combined playoff series.
The Clippers only got as far as the 2021 Western Conference Finals before losing in six games to the Phoenix Suns. They then missed the playoffs in Leonard’s injury season and proceeded to lose in the first-round of the playoffs in the three ensuing seasons.
During his time in Los Angeles, Leonard became scrutinized for being the face of the ‘load management’ movement among players. Leonard often sat out of games where the Clippers were expected to win in order to avoid injury.
Despite there being 82 games on the schedule, the most Leonard ever played in a single-season was 68 contests in the 2023-24 campaign.
Leonard’s arrival in Los Angeles came alongside Paul George in a hope to bring the Clippers a title. However, injuries to both stars ended up de-railing any prospects of that goal.
This move comes as the NBA continues to investigate an endorsement deal Leonard signed with bankrupt company Aspiration allegedly meant to circumvent the salary cap
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer denied accusations he used the company to pay Leonard
The move to Toronto comes after Leonard was put under a microscope due to a scandal he was involved in with the fraudulent company, Aspiration.
As uncovered by sports journalist Pablo Torre, Leonard signed a $28m ‘no-show’ endorsement deal which required no other work from the NBA star – other than continuing to be a member of the Clippers.
Torre’s report also revealed that Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer, one of the richest men in the world after serving as CEO of Microsoft, invested $50m into the company. Torre alleged this was a means to pay Leonard under the table.
Later reports from the Boston Sports Journal reported that Leonard also received $20m in stock in the company – bringing his total compensation to $48m.
The Clippers denied the allegations. In an interview with ESPN, Ballmer said the team introduced Leonard to the company after Aspiration signed a sponsorship agreement with the Clippers, but didn’t have any further involvement with endorsement deals.
After the allegations were published, the NBA launched an investigation into the deal and alleged involvements by Leonard and Ballmer. However, according to NBA reporters Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, there is no suggestion ‘that a potential Leonard trade would be held up by the league office’ due to the investigation.
Earlier in the month, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league is near the point where the investigation needs to end.
