The Los Angeles Clippers insisted right down to the bitter end (i.e. the trade deadline) that they would not be trading center Ivica Zubac, a key player to any playoff run hopes they held.

But then they traded James Harden. And then they dealt Zubac at the 11th hour.

Now what?

Kawhi Leonard is now the lone holdover of the Clippers’ big plans for title contention. But he can’t do it by himself. He will be going into the final year of his contract next season, and talk around the NBA is, will Kawhi be the next to go?

Insider Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, in fact, says the circumstances are eerily similar to a time long ago and far away, in 2018. That was the summer when Leonard was last a subject of heated trade rumors, due to his unhappiness with his current team (then, the San Antonio Spurs).

And we all know what happened then. The Toronto Raptors swooped in, and a magical season played out, topped off with an NBA championship. Could a Kawhi-to-Toronto Trade 2.0 be on the horizon? Siegel writes that, given the current circumstances, it’s a possibility that can’t be ignored.

Teams will be pushing the Clippers for a Kawhi Leonard trade this summer

It is expected that teams will engage in conversations with the Clippers about trading for the 34-year-old (this summer). Even though his knee health and injury concerns stand out, many are already comparing these upcoming talks to Leonard being traded by the San Antonio Spurs in the final year of his contract before the 2018-19 season.

It was then that the Toronto Raptors traded for Leonard without knowing what the future held for him in free agency. That move led Toronto to their first NBA championship.

Something similar could happen with Leonard this upcoming offseason. Maybe, just maybe, a return to the Raptors to compete for another championship is a scenario we could see play out.

The Raptors have put together some nice pieces over the years, and have made themselves into a competitive team in the East in 2025-26. At 32-22 going into Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, Toronto is the 5-seed in the conference, and features two All-Stars and core pieces of a strong contender in Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.

Is Kawhi Leonard the missing piece for the Raptors—Again?

As far as waiting with bated breath this offseason on whether or not Kawhi will come back, we’re not sure if too many Raptors fans have the appetite to deal with another heartbreak like the one in the Summer of 2019. Soon after the massive Championship Parade through downtown Toronto, Kawhi snuck away in the middle of the night, signing with the Clippers and ending Toronto’s ‘Run it Back’ dreams.

There’s obviously a lot of water under the bridge in the six+ seasons since then. And Leonard’s health with his knees has gotten progressively more troublesome over the years. But he’s back this season, playing at as high a level as he has since his Toronto days.

Could either side be thinking of a reunion? Whatever happens next with Kawhi will play out this summer.