FINALLY! After the Los Angeles Clippers investigation over salary cap circumvention ended, there were questions about whether or not Kawhi Leonard would be traded back to the Toronto Raptors, where he won a a championship not too long ago. On Monday? It became official: he's on his way back to the North.
The 35-year-old veteran with $50 million left on his contract was dealt to the Raptors in a trade that didn't change from the first time it was announced back in June. It gives an intriguing Toronto team more juice in a shifting Eastern Conference and gives the Clips some pieces in the future to work with.
So who won this deal? What are the details? As always, we've got you covered. We'll fill you in with who was dealt and hand out some grades
to each team:
Raptors and Clippers trade details
Raptors get: SF Kawhi Leonard
Clippers get: SF Brandon Ingram, G Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and one pick swap (more details to come)
Raptors trade grade
The King of the North is back. A team that already has some intriguing pieces -- Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Collin Murray-Boyles and Allen Graves -- suddenly gets back a future Hall of Famer who proved last year that he can still play. Whether he can play a full season anymore? That's more of the question.
But if you're the Raptors and you feel like you can make some noise in the East by adding a two-way stud like Leonard? You do it. Let's see if they sign him to an extension while they're at it. They didn't give up a ton here for Leonard, so it's a solid deal. And now that the forward is done with the investigation, everyone can rest easy regarding whether or not he'll be suspended (he won't be). GRADE: B+
Clippers trade grade
It feels like the end of an era, one that started with so much promise. Paul George is long gone. Leonard is gone. The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade that brought George in the first place was a disaster. The rebuild of sorts has begun. And now the Clips have started getting picks back, which helps after they were hit with some serious penalties in the Leonard investigation.
Yes, trading Leonard and his expiring deal instead of losing him for nothing was somewhat smart. But is Dick good? He's young but last year was not the best. Brandon Ingram was an All-Star, but his contract is enormous.
All in all, this is just a sad moment for the franchise in a stretch of more sadness. Unless Dick develops the way Toronto hoped he would or any of the picks turn out good, it's not the greatest of returns. GRADE: C+
Did anything change in the Clippers and Raptors Kawhi Leonard trade?
No. It's the same as it was when the deal was announced in June.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kawhi Leonard trade grades: Who won the now official Raptors and Clippers deal?
