Kawhi Leonard trade grades: Who won between Raptors and Clippers in deal that sends star back to Toronto

Kawhi Leonard only played one season in Toronto, but it was one for the ages. Leonard helped the Raptors win the championship back in 2019 and left for Los Angeles that summer, killing the team's chances at defending that title. 

The Raptors will get another shot at closure seven years later. The Clippers turned a page, trading Leonard back home on Tuesday for a package centered around Brandon Ingram and draft picks. 

Does this trade make sense for a Raptors team that isn't in contention for a championship and will be committed to the injury-prone 35-year-old? Did the Clippers get enough for a player coming off a Second Team All-NBA selection and votes in the MVP race? Here's how each side did. 

MORE TRADE GRADES: Giannis to Heat | LaMelo Ball to Wolves | Julius Randle to Nets | Ja Morant to Blazers

Kawhi Leonard trade details

Raptors receive:

• Kawhi Leonard

Clippers receive:

• Brandon Ingram
• Gradey Dick 
• Two first-round picks
• One pick swap
• Two second-round picks

Raptors trade grade

Leonard was in my estimation a top-five player last season. Raptors fans are well aware of how awesome his two-way play is.

While he's no longer an All-Defensive player, he's still very good on that end of the floor. And his offense may have actually improved from 2019. He still has that ability to get to his spots whenever he wants. His scoring average was at a career-high 27.9 points per game last season, and he also had a career-high 62.9 true shooting percentage. 

The big question with Leonard has always been availability. He did play in 65 games last season. But in his previous eight seasons, he averaged just 42. 

If Leonard plays half a season for the Raptors, this trade becomes a total disaster. If he can churn out another 65, then it could vault Toronto into a top four seed in the East. 

Leonard's future contract will also strongly influence this grade. He was traded with the understanding that he would sign an extension with Toronto. That will be a very tricky situation for the Raptors to manage, as it will take him into his mid-to-late 30's. My salary model has him still worth $50 million annually over the next three seasons if he can stay at his current level and manage to play 58 games per season. 

There's also the looming issue of a potential penalty for Leonard stemming from his alleged salary cap circumvention during his time with the Clippers. The results of that investigation are still pending, and it adds another layer of uncertainty in the event that Leonard is suspended by the league at a future date. 

The Raptors moved two mediocre-to-bad deals but paid a big price in terms of draft picks in order to acquire Leonard. They certainly got better, but it came at a massive risk of both health and suspension, and with little championship upside. The goal doesn't always have to be a ring. At the price they paid, it should be. 

Grade: B-

Clippers trade grade

The Clippers already started their pivot last season by trading away Ivica Zubac. They saw the writing on the wall that they were old with little upside. They finished ripping the band-aid off by trading Leonard. Now, they will be led by Darius Garland and No. 5 draft pick Keaton Wagler. 

This is a very quick pivot for a team that didn't have an easy way of maneuvering out of the Leonard-Paul George era. Now, they have some young stars, interesting young prospects including No. 36 pick Baba Miller, and future picks. 

Ingram is overpaid, but he's a capable floor-raiser that can provide some offense for the team and help keep them somewhat respectable on offense. He has issues with efficient scoring and high-level defense on championship teams, but he should fit nicely as a guy who can soak up a lot of possessions in Los Angeles. 

Dick hasn't really lived up to his promise as the No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft. The lights-out shooter out of Kansas has hit only 34 percent of his 3's in the NBA. 

This move saves the Clippers a nice chunk of money and opens up the possibility of having $31 million in cap space this summer, per Spotrac's Keith Smith. There is a Los Angeles resident who is the No. 1 free agent this summer and became available earlier in the day. Even if the Clippers don't land LeBron James, it's nice to have cap space to add players or take on bad contracts in exchange for more assets. 

Leonard wasn't a part of the Clippers' long-term future. The team didn't want to ink him to an extension. Rather than losing him for nothing next year, they got a nice haul for their star. As the Raptors learned from dealing Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, it is tough to get great value for an expiring contract. Kudos to Los Angeles for being able to do it. 

Grade: A-

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