Seven years after walking away from the city where he delivered its first NBA championship, Kawhi Leonard could be heading back to finish what many believed would never happen. What initially looked like another blockbuster offseason trade may ultimately become one of the NBA’s rarest full-circle stories.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are nearing a deal to send Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks. But the trade package isn’t the biggest storyline emerging from the negotiations.

Charania later revealed the biggest development surrounding the negotiations. “The ability now to go to the Raptors and contend in the Eastern Conference and to be able to say that I ended my career with the Raptors after playing for the Clippers and the Spurs… I’m told Kawhi Leonard views this as an opportunity to retire in Toronto.”

Charania also reported that Toronto was the only team Leonard was willing to sign a long-term extension with if traded outside Los Angeles, significantly limiting the Clippers’ leverage in negotiations.

Leonard’s reported desire to finish his career in Toronto carries added significance considering how his first stint unfolded. After arriving in a blockbuster trade from San Antonio in 2018, Leonard led the Raptors to the franchise’s first NBA championship, earned Finals MVP honors and authored one of the greatest postseason runs in league history before returning home to Los Angeles in free agency just weeks later.

According to Charania, the Clippers were unwilling to make the same long-term commitment Toronto was prepared to offer. The Dallas Mavericks also explored a deal for Leonard, but reports indicated Toronto was the only destination where Leonard was prepared to commit to an extension, dramatically limiting the Clippers’ leverage during negotiations.

Brian Windhorst Explains Why Kawhi Leonard Changes the East

“This is a real balance of power shifting trade,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “This is the first one, this is the first major transaction that has changed the balance of power. The Raptors are now ready to contend. … This changes how the Eastern Conference shakes out. … This is taking a team that could be a conference finalist next year, total powerhouse, two-way wing player, coming off one of his best years of his career.”

Windhorst also noted that Toronto is no longer acquiring Leonard as a one-year gamble like it did in 2018. With a reported extension expected after the trade, the Raptors would be adding a proven championship cornerstone to a roster built around Scottie Barnes, giving the franchise a much longer competitive window than during Leonard’s original championship run.

Leonard’s return doesn’t simply reunite the Raptors with the player who delivered the franchise’s lone championship. If Charania’s reporting proves accurate, it also gives Toronto the opportunity to become the final stop of one of the NBA’s most decorated careers, completing a full-circle story few could have imagined when Leonard departed in 2019.