The Los Angeles Clippers have been finally able to move forward from the Kawhi Leonard era and all of the subsequent that turmoil within the organization, and they hay have moved on from him just in time.

Leonard was finally traded to the Toronto Raptors in early in September for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple first and second-round picks, as well as a pick-swap, after the deal was initially paused because of the investigation into the Clippers and Leonard for salary cap circumvention. 

After the investigation concluded and the Clippers sorted out their chaotic front office situation after owner and governor Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank were both suspended, the Clippers and Raptors moved on with the trade. 

The Raptors also haven't wasted any time on securing their future with Leonard. Per a report from ESPN's Shams Charania on Sep. 22, the Raptors have signed Leonard to a two-year, $115 million contract extension to make his total time with Toronto worth three years and $165 million. 

This is obviously an astronomical that reflects the Raptors' fervent desire to reunite with Leonard after he led the franchise to a championship in 2019. But it also reflects Leonard's own sense of value after he had a career year this past season that essentially revived his reputation after an injury-plagued Clippers tenure. 

When it comes to that latter point, the Clippers may have lucked out by trading Leonard before he asked them for a similarly massive contract. ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon certainly things that the Raptors taking on this extension was a mistake.

"Let's not act like this is not a massive risk," MacMahon said (via OhNoHeDidn't24 on X).  "This is a guy who's played 60+ games just three times in the last 9 years...$115 million for a player with those durability issues, in his mid-30s that is a massive contract. That's not a discount deal."

Over his time with the Clippers alone between 2019-26, Leonard missed a combined 141 games, including missing the entire 2021-22 season due to an ACL injury. While he played 65 games this past season and turned in the best scoring season of his career as a result, there simply shouldn't be much faith that Leonard won't get injured again, especially since he'll only be getting older. 

The Clippers have likely had enough of this song-and-dance already and while the Raptors had great luck with Leonard in a much smaller sample size, the Clippers tried bringing Leonard in on a huge contract to change the course of their franchise, and it didn't work out for them. 

While trading Leonard was motivated primarily by the Clippers entering rebuild mode rather than them fearing losing him in eventual free agency, the fact that they were able to such a significant package for them without being put on the spot to extend him is the best possible outcome for Los Angeles.