Raptors Leading Contenders To Trade For & Extend Kawhi Leonard
REPORT: Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, & Toronto Raptors are all interested in trading for Kawhi Leonard, but, he’d only sign an extension with Toronto, where he won a title in 2019, according to Jake Fischer of Stein Line.
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) June 25, 2026
Where will Kawhi end up? 🤔🏆 pic.twitter.com/pMwlIzBAKy
The full list of teams interested in Kawhi, if the Clippers agree to trade him, looks like this, starting with his two former teams:
- Toronto Raptors
- San Antonio Spurs
- Miami Heat
- Detroit Pistons
A report from Jake Weinbach says that the Raptors could pursue Kawhi with a trade package centered around Brandon Ingram and draft compensation.
On the other hand, the reports that Kawhi would be open to signing in Toronto could be a smokescreen that he's using as leverage to get somewhere else. As noted by Raptors beat writer Josh Lewenberg, we've seen this movie before.
Not to spoil the party before it happens, but the last time Kawhi was "open" to this, many inside and outside of the Raptors organization felt/feel that he was using them as leverage. The more things change the more they stay the same. https://t.co/LA72zPO50j
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 25, 2026
Leonard, now 35, had his best campaign since his year with the Raptors this past season, averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game with the Clippers, while playing 65 games, his second-highest total in 10 years.
He had a bitter breakup with the Spurs in 2018 (which led to the trade to Toronto), so a reunion there would be an intriguing story. But who wouldn't want to play with Victor Wembanyama?
The Heat just blew their load, asset-wise, to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, so it's unclear how they would be able to make a trade that would interest the Clippers.
Detroit would not be a preferred destination for Kawhi, but he'd be an ideal fit next to Cade Cunningham.
