The Raptors could add Kawhi Leonard or Jaylen Brown, but should they?

We’re not even that deep into the offseason, and the stories circulating the Raptors’ trade market are getting crazy.

A possible return from the 2019 champion has already been discussed, in the wake of a report from Jake Fischer. This is a rumour that has only heated up more with the reporter breaking the news that over this weekend, Toronto and Los Angeles have been corresponding and potentially working out a deal to get Kawhi Leonard in the Raptors’ red and black again.

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This marks a more significant jump the stakes for a Leonard-to-Toronto deal. Previously, the Clippers had indicated the desire to continue building around Leonard, but with the team stuck in play-in-purgatory, dependent on the notoriously injury-prone forward while lacking significant scoring pieces around him, it seems like they might be willing to move on.

Pushing to send Ingram to the Clippers suggest that the Raptors are more interested in building around RJ Barrett at small forward, which is likely a reaction to the play of both men in the Cleveland series during this year’s playoffs.

The Raptors are in the favourable position of controlling their first round picks well into the next decade, and thus have the ability to put up massive draft capital to acquire a star player like Kawhi. Packaging the All-Star forward with future picks could allow for a mutually beneficial deal, allowing the Clippers to remain somewhat competitive while retooling their roster, and getting a windfall of picks in a future draft to either keep, or use themselves to swing for a player. The Raptors would then be thrust into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, equipped with one of the league’s best two-way players alongside a very solid defensive core, and would very much be one or two moves away from being in serious contention for a championship.

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However, there are of course concerns that factor into this decision. As last year was one of Kawhi’s finest outings as a player, the Raptors would be buying somewhat high on the famously injury-prone 34 year old. The Raptors themselves have struggled with injuries over the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/raptors-could-add-kawhi-leonard-213102279.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-28 21:31:00

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