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Why is Kawhi Leonard returning to Raptors? Revisiting star's decision to leave Toronto after 2019 NBA title originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kawhi Leonard enjoyed the best season of his career in Toronto, bringing the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the Raptors for the first time in their history. Seven years on, he's returning to his roots, landing on Toronto's roster via trade. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Raptors are nearing a deal to acquire Leonard, with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks headed in the other direction.
The impending move marks the end of a six-year stint in Los Angeles for Leonard. The aging veteran struggled with injuries during his time with the Clips. However, he was nothing if not productive when he took to the floor.
Leonard came to prominence with the Spurs. He cemented himself as a Hall of Famer with the Clippers. But it was with the Raptors that Leonard competed for the title of the league's best player. Here's a look at his decision to return to Scotiabank Arena, as well as what prompted him to leave Toronto's friendly shores back in 2019.
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Why is Kawhi Leonard returning to Raptors?
Leonard enjoyed plenty of on-court success with the Clippers, earning three All-Star Game appearances and four All-NBA berths during his six years in Tinseltown. However, Los Angeles struggled to put itself in a position to compete for an NBA title, failing to make it past the second round during Leonard's tenure.
The Clippers missed out on the postseason entirely in 2026, falling to the Warriors in the Play-In. Leonard expressed interest in remaining with Los Angeles, according to Charania. However, the franchise opted against making a long-term commitment to Leonard, who turned 35 on Monday.
With the Clippers unwilling to invest in Leonard beyond the season, he looked for other options. He landed on his old employer, the Raptors, declaring that they were the only side he'd be willing to sign an extension with. Leonard has one year left on his current deal.
By dealing Leonard, the Clips are departing from the vision set forth by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, who claimed that Los Angeles wanted to keep Leonard in its ranks during his end-of-season presser, per ESPN.
"Our plan is to win with Kawhi," Frank said, per ESPN. "We obviously showed as an organization that we want to continue and we are driven to win. So at the appropriate time, we'll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we'd like to win with Kawhi."
Toronto, meanwhile, had the assets to secure the two-time Finals MVP's services. It also offered a viable path to success, believing that, with Leonard back in the mix, it could compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Why did Kawhi Leonard leave Raptors?
Leonard left Toronto something between a hoop maven and sporting deity, having delivered the Raptors their first-ever title. However, his arrival wasn't entirely of his own doing. Yes, Leonard conveyed his expiring contract into a one-way ticket out of San Antonio. But according to former Toronto guard Fred VanVleet, Leonard never had any interest in staying with the Raptors beyond the 2018-19 season.
"He said it from Day 1: 'I'm not staying here,'" VanVleet told William Lou and Alex Wong of the "Hello and Welcome" podcast. "From Day 1: 'I don't know why they traded for me. I don't want to be here. I'm not staying here.'
"Now, Toronto put their best bid in. The city bowed down like we've never seen before. ... Yes, for us regular people, we can look at it and say, 'How could you leave that?' ... But his mind was made up. Kawhi is Kawhi."
Former Toronto head coach Nick Nurse shared similar sentiments when Leonard announced his intention to sign with the Clippers, indicating that the pull of home — Leonard was born and raised in Los Angeles — was too much for him to pass up.
"I think you can't blame a guy for wanting to go home," Nurse said, per ESPN. "That's what he texted me today. 'I'm going home.' And I just said, 'You've changed a lot of lives, man, by what you've accomplished in Toronto. Mine especially.' And thanked him for what he did, and we'll look to the future, and we'll look to [win a title] again."
Kawhi Leonard Raptors career
Leonard cemented his status as one of basketball's greatest-ever talents during his lone season in Toronto, earning All-NBA second team and All-Defensive second team honors as the Raptors surged to a top-two seed in the East.
During the playoffs, the then-27-year-old was talismanic, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists as Toronto captured its first NBA title. Leonard authored some of the greatest moments in Raptors history during that run, from his Game 7 buzzer-beater against the 76ers to his 36-point, 12-rebound outburst in Game 4 of the Finals against the Warriors.
He was awarded Finals MVP for his efforts, becoming the third player to win multiple trophies with multiple franchises (alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James).
Kawhi Leonard Raptors stats
| Regular season | Playoffs | |
| 26.6 | PPG | 30.5 |
| 7.3 | RPG | 9.1 |
| 3.3 | APG | 3.9 |
| 1.8 | SPG | 1.7 |
| 0.4 | BPG | 0.7 |
| 2.0 | TOs | 3.1 |
| 49.6% | FG% | 49.0% |
| 37.1% | 3PT% | 37.9% |
| 85.4% | FT% | 93.1% |
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