The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves tried to trade for Kawhi Leonard, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The LA Clippers wound up trading Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors, a move Leonard pushed for.
“This is a complete legacy play for Kawhi,” Charania said on TSN. “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. And so this is a legacy play for Kawhi Leonard. There’s no doubt about it.”
The Clippers traded Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks.
Leonard, 35, has one year left on his contract. The Raptors are widely expected to sign him to an extension.
A future Hall of Famer, Leonard requested a trade from the San Antonio Spurs and was traded to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan in July 2018. The Raptors won 58 games during the 2018-19 season and were the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Leonard averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and made the All-Star team, the All-Defensive Second Team and the All-NBA Second Team during the 2018-19 season.
Behind Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, Toronto defeated the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks to reach the 2019 NBA Finals, where the Raptors faced the back-to-back champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Toronto beat Golden State in six games to capture its first NBA championship. Leonard won Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in the six-game series.
In the summer of 2019, Leonard left the Raptors in free agency for the Clippers, who acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard and George were teammates in Los Angeles for five seasons and never reached the NBA Finals.
George, who now plays for the Boston Celtics, left the Clippers for the 76ers in the summer of 2024.
Leonard appeared in 331 regular-season games and 35 playoff games with the Clippers, who went 217-114 in the regular season and 17-18 in the playoffs when Leonard played. LAC has never been to the NBA Finals in franchise history.
A top-75 player of all time, Leonard holds career averages of 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season and 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the playoffs with the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He’s a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Star.
Toronto lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 2026 playoffs in seven games. The Raptors now have a talented core of Leonard, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles.
The Timberwolves acquired LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets and signed Jonathan Kuminga in free agency, so they will be a championship contender next season despite not getting Leonard. Ball and Kuminga join Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the Pistons — led by Cade Cunningham — acquired John Collins from the Clippers, Isaiah Joe from the Thunder and Taurean Prince and Gary Harris from the Bucks. Jalen Duren, though, is still a restricted free agent.
