The Raptors and Clippers have been talking this weekend about a trade that would send Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, league sources Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter links).

According to Fischer, the Raptors’ preference would be to include Brandon Ingram, rather than RJ Barrett, as the primary outgoing piece for salary-matching purposes.

Ingram, who was named to his second All-Star team in 2025/26, makes $40MM in ’26/27, with a $41.9MM player option for ’27/28. Leonard will make $50.3MM next season in the final year of his contract.

It’s worth noting that Toronto has access to all of its future first-round picks, giving the team the draft assets to pursue a blockbuster trade — if it wants to go that route.

Fischer reported on Thursday that the Raptors are open to a wide variety of possible star-level trade targets, including Leonard, to pair with Scottie Barnes.

The Clippers’ preference this offseason is to hang onto Leonard, Fischer wrote earlier this week, with team owner Steve Ballmer having reportedly opposed the idea of trading him at the in-season deadline when the Warriors and other clubs expressed interest. And Leonard, who left Toronto for his hometown of Los Angeles after winning a title with the Raptors in 2019, is believed to prefer to remain in Southern California too.

However, with the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers’ and Leonard’s dealings with the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration still up in the air and Kawhi entering the final year of his current contract with the team, it’s not a certainty that he’ll stay in L.A. long-term. The two sides will have to work out a contract extension to keep the star forward off the 2027 free agent market, and it remains to be seen whether the Clippers are willing to keep paying $50MM+ annually for a player who will turn 35 on Monday.

Leonard could exert some leverage in trade talks based on which teams he’s willing to sign extensions with. Sources tell Fischer that the only two clubs the two-time Finals MVP would be open to extending with are the Raptors and Spurs. Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca later reported that Houston may be on that list as well.

Fischer’s reporting aligns with comments made by ESPN’s Bobby Marks during Wednesday’s draft broadcast. Asked about possible trade suitors for Leonard, Marks referenced Kawhi’s “former teams” (Twitter video link).

It’s unclear if the Spurs, who are coming off an NBA Finals appearance and are building around their young core, would be open to reuniting with Leonard, but Fischer hears the Raptors have “genuine interest” in the possibility.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link) was skeptical about Fischer’s reporting on Thursday, noting that the Raptors felt during Leonard’s 2019 free agency like they were being used for leverage when he wanted to be in Los Angeles all along.