Will Kawhi Leonard Play for the Raptors in Aftermath of NBA Salary Cap Punishment?

Now that the NBA has come down hard on the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing the league salary cap, a trade that would send Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors can be completed.

Leonard has been fined $700,000, but otherwise escaped further punishment. In a social media post on Wednesday, the NBA All-Star explained that he expected to play his next NBA season for the Raptors.

Kawhi Leonard / Getty

What does it all mean for the next NBA season and the Toronto Raptors, who agreed to acquire Leonard in July?

NBA Odds to Win 2027 NBA Finals

Odds have not shifted since the news that the NBA has completed its investigation of the Clippers. That decision frees the Raptors and Clippers to finalize a trade that would bring Leonard back to the place where he led Toronto to the NBA title in 2019.

DraftKings lists odds for NBA Champs:

• San Antonio Spurs +270
• Oklahoma City Thunder +270
• Philadelphia 76ers +900
• New York Knicks +900
• Boston Celtics +1300
• Cleveland Cavaliers +2200
• Toronto Raptors +2500
• Minnesota Timberwolves +2500
• Detroit Pistons +2500
• Denver Nuggets  +2500

After the Leonard-to-Toronto trade was revealed in July, odds slightly shifted. DraftKings shifted the Raptors from +2800 to +2500. At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Raptors are priced at +2200.

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Leonard's 27.9 PPG would fit nicely for Raptors

It appears that Leonard will end up back with the Raptors. His offensive game will be a boost to a team that was 22nd in the NBA in scoring and 16th in eFG% last season.

He's coming off a season where he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game. He's also still a reliable defender and impact player on the glass: Kawhi recorded five double-doubles in the 2025-26 season. He scored a season-high 55 points against Detroit last December.

The Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram to the Clippers. He scored 21.5 points last season, but his Effective FG percentage of 52.9 pales next to the 57.3 that Leonard posted.

Leonard also handles the ball better than Ingram: 1.7 TO compared to the 2.4 turned in by Ingram for the Raptors last season.

Fourth-year long-range shooting specialist Gradey Dick will also go to the Clippers if the deal remains structured the same. Dick is useful, but a one-note player. He averaged fewer than 15 minutes on the floor last season.

Leonard will be a huge improvement for a Raptors team that won 46 games and pushed the Cavaliers to a Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs last season.

Kawhi Leonard claims ignorance of violations but admits "lapses in judgment"

Leonard quickly issued a statement following the announcement from the NBA.

"I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family," Leonard wrote, via his agent. He seems to distance himself from the salary cap violations, however.

"I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone's part to circumvent the salary cap," the former two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player wrote.

The NBA regular season is set to begin Oct. 20.