‘The Future of Your Team Is at the Clippers Now’ — 3-Time NBA All-Star Unloads on Raptors Over Kawhi Leonard Gamble
· Yahoo Sports
With Kawhi Leonard’s trade from the Los Angeles Clippers back to Toronto becoming official this week, attention has shifted to the new-look Raptors’ outlook in the improved Eastern Conference. The win-now move has also raised questions about whether Toronto gave up too much to reunite with the aging superstar forward.
Three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas is among those bearish on the revamped Raptors entering the 2026-27 campaign, going as far as to question the organization’s long-term future.
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Gilbert Arenas Launches Muddled Attack on Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard Trade
Toronto was able to reacquire Leonard, who famously led the franchise to the 2019 NBA title, for a draft pick-heavy trade package. In return for the two-time NBA Finals MVP, the Clippers received star wing Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, and two second-rounders.
The blockbuster shake-up came after the Raptors defied expectations last season, winning 46 games and finishing with a top-five defense. While the likes of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett stepped up in the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ingram, battling injury, underperformed. He averaged just 12.0 points on 32.8% shooting across five appearances as Toronto fell in seven games in the first-round series.
Meanwhile, Dick, who showed promise in his sophomore campaign, was gradually played out of Darko Rajaković’s rotation in Year 3 en route to logging 4 total minutes and going scoreless in brief postseason action.
Despite the Raptors hanging onto Barnes, Barrett, and their other top young players who contributed to their feisty playoff battle, including Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter, Arenas strongly pushed back on the Leonard trade.
“The only thing that has changed is the illusion of a 35-year-old guy, who’s been injured most of the time, that’s gonna come in for a year or two, and you traded all your young pieces,” Arenas said on Wednesday’s episode of “Gil’s Arena.”
“… So, the future of your team is at the Clippers now. You got him for a year or two, and then he’s gone; now what you got? Nothing! I thought that he came there, added with those guys; he can teach those guys how to be great, and then they can move on. But the fact that you got rid of three, four young people that’s gonna build with Scottie Barnes, that’s gonna move the needle together, to bring in a 35-year-old.”
It’s unclear which three or four young players Arenas was referring to. However, as the situation currently stands, the Raptors are essentially upgrading from Ingram to Leonard, who is coming off a career-best scoring year (27.9 ppg), while retaining most of their 2026 playoff roster.
That, combined with the internal development of their young core, especially Murray-Boyles, who thrived as a versatile small-ball five in the postseason, could be enough to build on last season’s success. The youngsters should also pick up invaluable lessons from Leonard’s wealth of experience and renowned work ethic.
Still, as was the case during Leonard’s first go-round in Toronto, midseason reinforcements may be on the horizon to put the optimal roster around the two-way standout, with weaknesses still lingering at point guard and center.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.