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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Toronto Raptors pulled off arguably the biggest deal of the offseason on Tuesday afternoon, trading (again) for Kawhi Leonard.
Now, the two-time Finals MVP, one of the best two-way players in basketball, and a living legend in Toronto is going back to Canada.
The Los Angeles Clippers are sending Leonard to the Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap, and two second-round picks. And just like that, the entire Eastern Conference has shifted.
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Leonard initially said that he preferred to stay in LA, but the franchise refused to commit to him long-term. That's when the Raptors quietly entered the conversation. Leonard's reps informed teams that Toronto was the only team he'd sign an extension with, and after reports that the two sides were "seriously engaged" in trade talks, a deal got finalized on Tuesday.
And according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the East has real reason to be worried.
"This is a real balance of power shifting trade. This is the first major transaction that has changed the balance of power," Windhorst said. "The Heat have the potential to do that, but they aren't ready to contend. The Raptors are now ready to contend. The New York Knicks, for the first time since they got done with their parade, are going to sit up a little bit on this one."
"This changes how the Eastern Conference shakes out," he added. "We've been watching the East get weaker over the last week. Jaylen Brown is in limbo. The Charlotte Hornets kind of came down. We haven't seen the Pistons yet fully get their team back together. The Cavs might lose a player or two. This turns a team that could be a conference finalist next year into a total powerhouse."
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Leonard just had a career year with the Clippers, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals across 65 regular-season games. He finished seventh in MVP voting, earned second-team All-NBA honors, and his seventh All-Star nod.
Now, he's bringing that back to the city he helped deliver its first NBA championship seven years ago.
In Leonard's first run with the Raptors, he averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals across 24 postseason games, and delivered some of the most iconic moments in playoff history.
Now he'll be joining a younger Raptors squad that's ready to compete right away.
In 2025-26, Toronto's third season under head coach Darko Rajakovic, the Raptors improved from 30 wins to 46 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022. While Toronto couldn't get past the first round, they took the Cleveland Cavaliers, who just went to the Eastern Conference Finals, to seven games.
The foundation is there for them to take another step forward. They just needed a superstar to close the gap.
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The Raptors now can lead out a starting five with Leonard, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl, with valuable ascending talent like Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter, and Jamal Shead coming off the bench. That's a rotation that can compete immediately with the likes of the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat.
And what's even scarier for the Eastern Conference is that it won't be a one-year rental this time around. Leonard has one year left on his current contract at $50.3 million, and reportedly intends to sign a new two-year extension with Toronto. That means he and the Raptors could be a legitimate contender for at least the next three years.
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