Gilbert Arenas believes the Toronto Raptors sacrificed too much of their future when they traded Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft assets to bring Kawhi Leonard back to the franchise.
Toronto completed the blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on September 14 after the trade had been held up since July. The Raptors sent Ingram, Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round swap and second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 for Leonard.
Speaking on Gil’s Arena, Arenas questioned the long-term value of the move, particularly given Leonard’s age and the number of young players and draft assets Toronto surrendered.
“The only thing that has changed with Toronto is the illusion of a 35-year-old guy that’s only going to be there for a year or two,” Arenas said.
“You traded all your young pieces with all your young pieces. The future of your team is at the Clippers now. You got him for a year or two and he’s gone, now what you got? Nothing.”
Arenas suggested he would have preferred Toronto to retain its young talent and allow Leonard to complement the existing core rather than become the centerpiece of a short-term push.
“I thought he would come there add with those guys and teach those guys how to be great and they can move on,” Arenas said.
Instead, Toronto parted with Ingram, who averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 77 games during the 2025-26 season, as well as Dick, who averaged 6.0 points in 76 appearances.
The Raptors still have a young centerpiece in Scottie Barnes. The 25-year-old forward averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks in 80 games last season while earning All-Star and All-Defensive Second Team honors.
Toronto also retains Immanuel Quickley and R.J. Barrett, who averaged 16.4 and 19.3 points, respectively, last season. The Raptors finished 5th in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 before losing in the first round.
Leonard, meanwhile, is returning to the franchise where he spent the 2018-19 season and helped deliver the first championship in Raptors history. He averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games for the Clippers in 2025-26, earning All-NBA Second Team honors.
The Raptors are therefore entering the season with an established star alongside Barnes, Quickley, Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. Leonard’s contract and the long-term implications of the deal will determine how much flexibility Toronto retains as Barnes and its other core players enter their prime.
