Seven years after Kawhi Leonard left Toronto following the Raptors’ first-ever NBA championship, there is now reportedly some interest in a reunion, and it’s sending the fanbase into full off-season chaos.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Leonard, who is currently with the Los Angeles Clippers, would prefer to remain in L.A., but league sources say the two-time Finals MVP would be open to signing an extension with Toronto amid the Raptors’ own interest in reuniting with him.
While Kawhi Leonard’s preference is to remain with the Clippers, league sources say the two-time Finals MVP would be open to signing an extension with Toronto, amid the Raptors’ own interest in reuniting with Leonard.
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— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 25, 2026
Leonard’s original Raptors chapter was short, but it changed the franchise forever. After being traded to Toronto in 2018, he became the centrepiece of one of the most memorable seasons in the city’s sports history, helping push the Raptors through a dramatic playoff run that included his unforgettable Game 7 buzzer-beating shot against the Philadelphia 76ers, a Finals MVP performance and, ultimately, the team’s first NBA championship in 2019.
But the celebration came with a pretty major catch. Just weeks after the parade, Leonard left for L.A., signing with the Clippers instead of running it back with the defending champs. So, for Raptors fans, it made his Toronto stint feel both legendary and somewhat unfinished. Anyway, the rumoured reunion is enough to send people into a bit of a spiral.
“He had no intention on re-signing with the Raptors,” one user wrote in a recent Reddit thread on the rumour, arguing that Leonard’s original Toronto stint was always “one and done.”
Another fan questioned whether Toronto’s current roster would be enough to convince him, writing, “We gave him a roster with like a million all stars on it and still passed on it. I doubt he’d like this roster enough to sign.”
One user admitted that, basketball-wise, things might have looked different had Leonard stayed in Toronto, writing that his branding in Canada was “so much bigger,” from “Fun Guy” to “Board Man Gets Paid.”
Others are just here for the drama.
“Although it may be true idc, the rumours and drama make the off season more interesting and fun as a fan,” one Redditor wrote, adding that after the LaMelo Ball rumours ended quickly, “now we have this to monitor and look out for as fans.”