Why OKC Thunder is winner of Kawhi Leonard trade from Clippers to Raptors

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ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that the Los Angeles Clippers are nearing a deal to send Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. The deal can become official on Monday.

Los Angeles will receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks. It's a deal that suggests a shift in priorities for the Clippers, who've gone from trying to put together a contending team to acquiring youth and draft capital.

That makes the OKC Thunder one of the biggest winners in this move. It has a 2027 first-round pick swap with the Clippers thanks to a series of deals in the past.

OKC first sent Paul George to Los Angeles in 2019 in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, three Clippers first-round picks (2022, 2024 and 2026), two Miami Heat first-round picks (2021 and 2023) and two first-round pick swaps (2023 and 2025).

Los Angeles then made another trade with OKC in 2023. It sent a 2027 first-round pick swap to OKC in exchange for the least favorable of the Thunder's 2026 first-round picks, which it then sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal to land James Harden.

It's yet another valuable asset for OKC, which also owns the Denver Nuggets' 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) and the San Antonio Spurs' 2027 first-round pick (top-16 protected).

Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why OKC Thunder is winner of Kawhi Leonard trade from Clippers to Raptors


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