Raptors explore Kawhi Leonard reunion as Clippers face extension call

Last updated: June 25, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ET

The Toronto Raptors have registered interest in a Kawhi Leonard reunion as the Los Angeles Clippers approach a contract decision on the star forward, according to reporting published Thursday. The idea lands with obvious weight in Canada because Leonard delivered Toronto's first NBA championship in 2019 before leaving for Los Angeles.

The immediate question is not whether a deal is done — no source says that — but whether the Clippers and Leonard can agree on an extension before his current contract reaches its final season. If they cannot, Toronto is one of the few places tied to both team interest and Leonard's reported willingness to consider a longer commitment.

The Full Story

Leonard is entering the final year of his current contract, which pays him $50.3 million before he can become an unrestricted free agent. CityNews Toronto reported that the Raptors have “registered interest” in reuniting with the seven-time all-star, while Leonard would be “open to signing an extension” if he were dealt to Toronto from the Clippers, citing NBA insider Jake Fischer.

That does not make a trade likely by itself. Multiple reports also say Leonard's preference is to remain with his hometown Clippers, and Bleacher Report reported that Los Angeles is “undeniably determined to keep” him. The Clippers' incentive is easy to understand: Leonard just produced one of his strongest regular seasons, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 65 appearances, while shooting 50.5 per cent from the field and 38.7 per cent from deep.

Toronto's side of the story is about timing. The Raptors returned to competitive relevance last season with a 46-36 record, reached the playoffs for the first time since 2022, and pushed Cleveland to seven games in the first round. That showed progress, but it also exposed the gap between a young playoff team and the clubs with a proven postseason closer.

General manager Bobby Webster has already framed the Raptors' approach as flexible rather than desperate. After Round 1 of the NBA Draft, he said Toronto's assets, picks and rookie-scale players helped build “the youngest team in the playoffs,” then added that the club wants to be “opportunistic in the trade market” this summer and at the next trade deadline. That matters because a Leonard deal would likely require real outgoing salary and assets, not just nostalgia.

Central Figures

Kawhi Leonard sits at the centre of the conversation. He was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to Toronto in 2018, led the Raptors to their first NBA title in 2019, won Finals MVP, and then left to join the Clippers with Paul George. During that Toronto playoff run, CityNews reported he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals across 24 playoff games.

The Raptors are the emotional fit and, according to the reports, a genuine possible landing spot if the Clippers open trade talks. The Spurs are the other former team tied to Leonard's reported extension list, though Yahoo Sports Canada noted there is no guarantee a reunion would appeal to San Antonio after the messy 2018 split and with the franchise now flourishing in the Victor Wembanyama era.

The Clippers still control the clearest path because Leonard remains under contract in Los Angeles. HoopsRumors reported that owner Steve Ballmer previously opposed the idea of trading him at the in-season deadline when the Warriors and other clubs expressed interest. The team also believes it has ways to improve around Leonard, according to Fischer's reporting cited by Bleacher Report and HoopsRumors.

The Data

The numbers explain why this rumour has not faded into casual offseason chatter. Leonard finished tied for seventh in MVP voting, earned second-team All-NBA, and delivered a career-best 27.9 points per game in his 14th season. For a Raptors team that reached the playoffs but lacked top-end scoring punch against Cleveland, that production would change the ceiling immediately.

The contract number is just as important as the scoring line. A $50.3 million expiring salary can make Leonard both expensive and movable: expensive because any acquiring team must send out major salary, and movable because the Clippers have to decide whether to extend him or risk losing him later for no return. HoopsRumors reported that Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett are among the Raptors players believed to be available if Toronto pursues a highly paid player, with Barrett on a $29.6 million expiring deal.

What This Means

For Raptors fans, this is more than a transaction rumour. Leonard's 2019 run is still the defining basketball memory in this country: the title, the Finals MVP, and the four-bounce Game 7 shot against Philadelphia are why any reunion talk hits differently in Toronto than it would elsewhere.

Still, sentiment alone does not build a roster. Toronto would have to balance the short-term boost of adding Leonard against the cost of moving picks, prospects or core salary. That is the real Canadian angle here: the Raptors finally have a young playoff base again, and a swing this large would signal that management believes the group is ready to chase something bigger right away.

There is also a Clippers-side complication beyond basketball. Bleacher Report and HoopsRumors both referenced an NBA investigation into allegations involving the Clippers, Leonard and the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration. The outcome has not been disclosed in the provided reporting, but the investigation is part of the wider uncertainty around how Los Angeles handles Leonard's next deal.

What to Expect

The next confirmed date is the NBA free agency negotiating period, which opens Tuesday, June 30, at 6 p.m. ET, according to the Detroit Free Press. Leonard is extension eligible, and the Clippers must decide whether to pursue a new agreement, keep him into the season, or listen if serious trade offers arrive.

For Toronto, the next step is watching whether the Raptors move from interest to an actual offer. The available reporting says they have assets, their own first- and second-round picks through 2032, and several contracts that could be discussed. It does not say the Clippers have agreed to shop Leonard, and it does not say Leonard has asked to leave Los Angeles.