Kawhi Leonard has returned to the Toronto Raptors nearly seven years after leading the team to its first NBA championship, rejoining the franchise ahead of its season opener on Wednesday. The move reunites Leonard with a young Raptors squad that last season finished with a 46-36 record and narrowly lost a first-round playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
Leonard, a two-time NBA champion and two-time finals MVP, is expected to provide the Raptors with both offensive firepower and defensive strength. The team’s young core, highlighted by All-Star Scottie Barnes and rising scorer RJ Barrett, posted promising numbers but has yet to advance past the first round of the playoffs since 2020. Leonard’s addition signals Toronto’s intent to compete immediately in the Eastern Conference, which has grown increasingly competitive with other high-profile acquisitions around the league.
After winning the championship with the Raptors in 2019, Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, where his tenure was marked by injury struggles and unmet expectations. Although the Clippers reached the playoffs in five of Leonard’s seven seasons with the team and made one Western Conference finals appearance, they won only three playoff series during that span. Leonard also missed a significant number of postseason games due to injuries.
Leonard’s departure from Los Angeles followed an NBA investigation that found the Clippers and the player guilty of violating salary-cap rules related to unauthorized endorsement deals. The league issued a $30 million fine to the Clippers, along with the forfeiture of five consecutive first-round draft picks, suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and top executives, and a $700,000 fine against Leonard. Following this, the Clippers chose not to extend Leonard’s contract, opening the door for his return to Toronto.
The Raptors completed the trade amid the NBA investigation, then secured Leonard on a two-year contract extension. The move is regarded as the most significant for Raptors general manager Bobby Webster since taking over last summer. Leonard, 35, is now several years and two knee injuries removed from his championship season but reunites with the team’s vice president of player health and performance, Alex McKechnie, who played a key role in his previous rehabilitation.
Toronto’s coach, Darko Rajakovic, is expected to start a lineup featuring Leonard, Barnes, Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl. The primary bench players include Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Collin Murray-Boyles, with Kyle Anderson serving as the veteran presence. Additionally, rookie Allen Graves, the 19th overall draft pick, could see significant minutes.
In exchange for Leonard, the Raptors traded Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to the Clippers, and Sandro Mamukelashvili signed elsewhere in free agency. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference itself has become a hub for star-studded rosters, with the New York Knicks winning their first championship in decades, and the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat acquiring LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, respectively. Teams like the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers remain competitive, contributing to a tough playoff landscape.
Canada’s NBA talent pool, once the largest international contingent in the league, now ranks second behind France. Notable Canadian players include two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the Oklahoma City Thunder and RJ Barrett—the only Canadian currently with the Raptors. The return of Leonard is seen as a crucial factor in the Raptors’ ambition to advance deeper into the playoffs and reassert themselves as contenders in a crowded and talented conference.