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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers controls the ball against Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Intuit Dome on March 25, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
On Monday, the Toronto Raptors officially acquired Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Raptors parted ways with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two second-round picks for Leonard.
It has been a whirlwind offseason for Leonard due to the Clippers salary cap circumvention issue, but all parties are moving on.
Kawhi Leonard on Scottie Barnes
GettyScottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors walks down court during the first quarter of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on May 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio.
In an episode of Open Gym on the Toronto Raptors’ YouTube channel, Kawhi Leonard’s return to the franchise was captured in a documentary-style video.
Leonard met with head coach Darko Rajakovic, and they exchanged pleasantries. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t come back to Toronto to take over the franchise.
The two-time NBA champion also made a strong statement on how the Raptors are Scottie Barnes‘ team.
“I’m not here to take over anything,” Leonard said. “I want to help your vision, help Scottie, whatever. I just want to win. If it’s Scottie’s team, it’s his team. I’ll just go when I can just do whatever it takes to help guys’ needs.”
Leonard returned to Toronto seven years after leading them to their first and only championship in 2019.
It’s a new chapter for the 35-year-old star, who spent the last seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
As for Barnes, he has made himself the franchise pillar after getting drafted fourth overall in 2021. He won Rookie of the Year and is already a two-time All-Star.
Barnes is coming off a pretty solid campaign, averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
2 Teams Expressed Interest in Leonard Before Raptors Trade
GettyKawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors celebrates with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after his team defeated the Golden State Warriors to win Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 13, 2019 in Oakland, California.
Speaking to TSN, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that the Toronto Raptors weren’t the only teams interested in Kawhi Leonard this offseason.
The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, two teams that were looking to give their respective stars a great secondary option, tried to get Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers.
“This is a complete legacy play for Kawhi,” Charania said via BasketNews. “There were teams – Detroit, Minnesota, others – that had interest in trading for him, that wanted to trade for him, that wanted to give him an extension.”
“But he made a decision because he had one year left on his deal to essentially weed out where he wanted to play, where he wanted to be,” he added. “And so this is a legacy play for Kawhi Leonard. There’s no doubt about it.”
In his lone season in Toronto, Leonard appeared in 60 regular-season games and averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals.
He carried the Raptors throughout the playoffs and into the NBA Finals, wherein they defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games to win their first championship.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David