To say it has been a bizarre and tumultuous offseason for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers would be a massive understatement, but nobody has been enjoying it more than the Celtics. Boston acquired a 2028 first-round pick swap with the Clippers in the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade, so cheering on their demise has been a guilty pleasure for Boston fans.
That’s certainly still in play, but at least this chapter of uncertainty appears to be over, as their owner, Steve Ballmer, announced in a statement that he won’t fight the punishment, and on Monday, the long-anticipated Kawhi Leonard trade with the Raptors was finally completed.
Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto is finally official
Thus ends a saga that has gone on for months, with reports about a lack of clear leadership in the Clippers’ front office after the suspensions of Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. There was even speculation about LA holding off on the deal out of spite towards Leonard for his role in the situation.
But that all appears to be settled now, which means the Clippers can move on with their rebuild and finally turn the page on what turned out to be a very ugly chapter for the franchise. With the trade, they’ll bring in two first-round picks from Toronto plus a swap, Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and two second-rounders.
Those are some massive assets for a team that was just stripped of a whopping five firsts, and they can now start to use some of their draft equity to try and rebuild in the short term around Ingram, Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, and others. It’s certainly still a grim situation in LA, but at least they are out of purgatory and can start on the path back to relevancy; something the Celtics are strongly rooting against.
Raptors now a threat in the Eastern Conference
The other reason this drama ending is bad news for Boston is that it means the Raptors are officially now a threat in the Eastern Conference. They gave up a lot to bring Leonard back to Toronto, but they now boast quite a roster, with the two-time Finals MVP joining Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and others.
They certainly aren’t favorites to win the East, but they’re in the mix and with a few tweaks or internal improvements, they could be right up there with anyone. If nothing else, they’ll be a major pain to play against, and one more team that the Celtics will have to worry about over the next few years as they strive for Banner 19.
We knew this wasn’t going to go on forever, but every day that passed without this deal getting done was giving Boston fans more reason for optimism. Now, it’s finally over, and it’s time to face reality and get back to worrying about how to beat teams like the Raptors and hoping the Clippers can’t dig their way out of the mud before the 2028 NBA Draft rolls around.
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