A trade sending Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers to the Raptors could be completed as soon as today, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Tuesday morning on Get Up (Twitter video link).
Windhorst added that the teams have “agreed on player compensation,” with Brandon Ingram part of the package that would be headed to Los Angeles. Gradey Dick has also been mentioned as being in Toronto’s offer.
However, the two teams are still negotiating on the draft picks that will be involved, Windhorst says. Toronto controls all of its first-round choices through 2033 and can include up to four of them in the deal. Windhorst states that L.A. wants “multiple of those,” but that part of the trade is still being worked out.
“The key part of this is that the Raptors are willing to offer Leonard an extension, and Leonard is willing to sign in Toronto,” Windhorst said. “Those are two big checkmarks. What’s interesting is that despite him coming off a brilliant season, the Clippers, I am told, are not willing to offer Kawhi Leonard an extension right now of any sort. There’s not one on the table; he’s not rejecting one to go with another, and that is what is forcing this.”
Clippers officials want to “maximize” Leonard’s value and are concerned that the current deal may be “one-sided,” according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), which is why they’re demanding more than one first-rounder. They view Leonard as a top-15 player in the league and remain hesitant to complete the deal without more draft compensation included, Siegel adds (Twitter link).
Leonard is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 27.9 PPG in 65 games and earning second-team All-NBA honors. However, he turned 35 on Monday and has a lengthy injury history that helps explain the Clippers’ reluctance to make a long-term commitment.
Sources who spoke to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required) indicated “a clear sense of momentum” in talks between Toronto and L.A. late Monday night. They also hear that the Clippers haven’t pursued Jaylen Brown as a possible Leonard replacement and have no plans to make an offer for the Celtics star.
Windhorst suggests that L.A. could be setting up another big move. The Clippers generated about $25MM in cap flexibility on Monday by declining their options on Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum, while Bradley Beal turned down his player option.
