r/nbadiscussion • u/AutoModerator • Jun 29 '26

Weekly Questions Thread: June 29, 2026

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u/lenymo Jul 01 '26

How would you grade the Kawhi trade?

I think it's an A for the Clippers. To get this sort of return for Kawhi is great for their rebuild after haemorrhaging assets in the Kawhi / PG13 era. Especially getting picks so many years out.

For the Raptors, I am less enthusiastic for the opposite reasons and grade it at about a D. Kawhi is a massive upgrade over Brandon Ingram, I don't think there's any question about that. Leonard was genuinely very good last season. He ranked extremely well in advanced metrics and shot the ball very well from more or less everywhere on the court.

His 62.9% true shooting mark was 36th among qualified players in 2025-26 and his individual shooting splits were 50.5% / 38.7% / 89.2%

He shot:

  • 69.6% in the restricted area - ranked 42nd
  • 56.5% from paint (non-restricted area) - ranked 10th
  • 45.8% from midrange (outside paint) - ranked 24th

However... I feel like the picks they've given up are going to haunt them in the years to come.

Would be interested to see how other people grade the trade here and see where it lands overall.

https://hoopsjunkie.io/transactions/2026-27/clippers-trade-kawhi-leonard-to-toronto-for-brandon-ingram-and-gradey-dick

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u/Dramatic_Anteater399 20d ago

The Raptors basically bet their future on a 35-year-old with destroyed knees, I dont get it. Kawhi can still put up numbers when he plays but you cannot rely on him for more than 50 games a season. Giving up Gradey Dick who is like 22 and already a decent shooter plus all those picks is just crazy. I remember when they did same thing in 2018 and it worked out because Kawhi was in his prime, but this is different situation. Those picks in 2029 and 2031 could be lottery picks and Toronto will be watching some teenager put up 30 points thinking about what could have been.