Toronto Raptors GM explains how the Kawhi Leonard trade went down

Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster met with the media on Thursday, four days before the start of training camp, to discuss the team's biggest offseason acquisition: Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, four future draft picks and a pick swap — a trade that was first proposed on June 30, put on hold nearly two weeks later, and finally processed on Sept. 14.

The biggest question reporters had for Webster was, frankly, how the trade came together. And it wasn't quite the way many Raptors fans might have expected.

In fact, Leonard wasn't even on Toronto's radar.

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Negotiations began when Webster received a call from the Clippers during the week of the 2026 NBA Draft about a potential trade.

"You're always keeping tabs on players, especially those who can fit with your organization," Webster said of Leonard.

"The week of the draft, I got a call from the Clippers, and I think they made their decision on what direction they were going to go in. They were open about making a deal, so that's when negotiations first started."

Webster described it as an opportunity to re-acquire Leonard, one of the league's best two-way players, who was coming off a healthy season in which he played 65 games and averaged 27.9 points per game.

Bobby Webster says negotiations started when he received a call from the LA Clippers on draft week regarding a Kawhi Leonard trade. pic.twitter.com/K0qkHbHFzR

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) September 24, 2026

Before the Raptors made the trade, it was rumoured that Leonard did not want to sign an extension with the Clippers beyond the 2026-27 season. His familiarity with Toronto and the Raptors organization made the city an ideal destination.

"Kawhi didn't want this move to be a short-term thing. He wanted to have a window where he knew he could compete for a title," Webster said.

There were reportedly other teams around the league interested in trading for Leonard, according to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania. Detroit, Minnesota, and Miami were all in talks for the 35-year-old, seven-time All-Star, but Toronto was the only destination where Leonard wanted to be long-term.

On Tuesday, the Raptors and Leonard agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension with a player option in the last year of his deal (2028-29). It's a contract that will likely keep Kawhi in Toronto for the remainder of his career.

The Raptors also managed to acquire him without giving up any of their first-round picks over the next four drafts, a move Webster believes leaves the front office with plenty of flexibility should they decide to go for it come the trade deadline.

"If we want to go for it, we still can," Webster said.

Webster was also asked about the Raptors' increased NBA title odds since landing Leonard and whether he felt there were now greater expectations surrounding the team heading into the 2026-27 season.

He chose not to get into the details and just said that this is a better team than last year.

Leonard will be formally introduced as a Raptor (again) on Sept. 28 as part of the team's Media Day.