If you were to rank the best quasi-contributors to the Oklahoma City Thunder and their 2025 NBA championship, Kawhi Leonard has to be at the top of the list. The polarizing NBA superstar single-handedly set them up by peer-pressuring the LA Clippers to mortgage their future for Paul George.
Without Leonard's demands of a co-star, the Thunder wouldn't have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. And without those two, OKC doesn't have one NBA championship — with room to get more. That's why the OKC fanbase should appreciate his destructive nature. LA is on the wrong side of one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history because of it.
In reaction to the Clippers' guiltiness for cap circumvention surrounding Leonard, they were docked five future
first-round picks from 2029-33 — as well as several lengthy suspensions and hefty fines for LA personnel. Doing the napkin math, that means LA cashed in a two-time MVP and a decade's worth of first-round picks for six disappointing seasons with Leonard that peaked at one measly Western Conference Finals appearance.
Yikes. Leonard has gone from the Clippers' savior to arch-nemesis. In the inverse, he went from former foe to beloved folk hero in OKC. Now that justice has been served for LA's cap-space cheating scandal, when will the future Hall-of-Famer pay a visit to Paycom Center?
Once Leonard is officially traded to the Toronto Raptors, he will travel to face the Thunder on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2:30 p.m. CT. Because they're an Eastern Conference team, that's their sole trip to OKC — barring a 2027 NBA Finals matchup, which isn't out of the realm of possibility.
As an aside — honestly surprised this isn't on national TV. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets flexed to a national TV broadcast. Maybe on Amazon Prime since ABC doesn't run its usual Sunday afternoon games until after the Super Bowl is played?
It'll be fun to see Leonard in OKC, though. Obviously, the history between the two is pretty deep. Especially for somebody who's never played for the Thunder or has had any sorta beef history with the franchise. But his superstar team-up ambitions in 2019 accidentally laid down the foundation of the Thunder right now.
Because of that, Thunder fans will always secretly have a soft spot for Leonard. His rule-breaking demands and absolute bullying of the Clippers completely fractured that franchise and have set them back for a decade-plus. Meanwhile, OKC enjoyed all of its fruit.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: When will Kawhi Leonard visit OKC in 2026-27 regular season?
