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Raptors fans react to the Kawhi Leonard trade
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Raptors fans react to the Kawhi Leonard trade

Originally posted on Raptors Republic
By Camden MacMillan  |  Last updated Jul 2, 2026 11:22 AM ET
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When news broke on Tuesday that Kawhi Leonard was being traded back to the Toronto Raptors, fans went absolutely crazy.

17 hours later…

– massive kudos to Bobby. After spending just one year in the driver’s seat, he drops the Sam Cassell dance on the league and acquires arguably the best two-way player in the game.
– for all those who doubted new ownership, they green light the tax for this trade. Spend that money Pelley!!
– Kawhi’s past season: 65 games, 28/6.4/3.6 with 2 steals, shot 50/39/89, TS 63%. Second team all-NBA.
– pick cost was huge, no need to downplay that fact. It’s not Gobert/Bridges/Bane-level huge, but the Clippers did extremely well given the circumstances.
-they didn’t get CMB, Ja’kobe, Shead…not even Battle. Again, great work Bobby.
– think we only have a pick and two swaps left to trade, so while we’re not “all-in” now, we will be after the next trade. Gotta imagine that trade is coming, probably at the deadline.
– extension-watch is on. If it’s a 35% max, that would be insane. 30% = 2/106M, should be around there.
– Scottie & CMB get to spend the next three seasons (and maybe more) with Kawhi F’ing Leonard.
– HE CHO-CHO CHOSE US!! The Raptors!! A top-3 highest taxes + cost of living market with the worst weather in league…whaaat?! That’s how far we’ve come.

If healthy, we should be a top-2/3 in the East and make the ECF. That should be the goal, and expectation after this trade.

  • PrimeBargnani

I don’t want to hear about how players don’t want to come to Toronto ever again.

We’ve had Multiple All NBAers begging to stay over the last decade and now One of the best to ever play has qanted to COME BACK..

Time to put that loser mentality in the trash where it belongs

  • totesP

Not sure its possible to go from a more “empty calories” player like Ingram to the absolute polar opposite in Kawhi. Worth the risk, now we have a chance. Raps fans deserved this. lets go!

  • Salami & Cheese

Slept on it, and honestly, this is a great trade.

There’s definitely risk, and we might hit a few years of purgatory down the road, but this move completely locks in a real championship window for Scottie’s 8-year prime. Also, huge props to Kawhi, he could’ve gone to plenty of teams, but he wants to sign an extension and retire a Raptor. That is a massive deal.

The picks look scary to some, but that’s just the tax to dump BI and Gradey while keeping all of our real promising talent like cmb, jakobe, shead, battle.

Ingram was a negative asset maybe neutral if you squint and equally a health risk. If he’s awful, he opts into that massive player option; if he’s awesome, he walks. Gradey just wasn’t panning out.

Pushing those picks way out to the 2030s means we kept our near-term flexibility to replenish the squad or make another big move down the line to stay elite. Plus, an extended Kawhi always holds baseline trade value.

At the end of the day, Bobby did an amazing job. We just plugged a cold-blooded killer straight into our emerging meat-grinder, bully-ball team. We are easily contenders now. Exciting times ahead in Toronto.

  • Sepoopoo

Maybe too many picks for Kawhi but I see the vision. Take into acount Gradey was just filler and Brandon Ingram is about just as injury prone and worse than Kawhi in everyway, I’m quite happy. Yeah I think this is a pretty great trade.

  • Mdougy

If gradey pops off from three in Clipperland, Imma go down to the raps practice gym with a sledgehammer and have a vigorous, yet concise talk with the Noah board…

  • Jo6ix

Scottie with Kawhi….unreal

  • Raptors Logic

This article first appeared on Raptors Republic and was syndicated with permission.

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