New NBA Trade Rumors on Kawhi, Jaylen Brown & Clippers amid Raptors, Celtics Buzz Before Free Agency

The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are reportedly engaged in trade talks focused on Kawhi Leonard, but regardless of how those negotiations end up, the Clips reportedly aren't looking to pry Jaylen Brown away from the Boston Celtics.

According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Clippers and Raptors are having "serious dialogue" about Leonard, and there is a "sense of clear momentum" when it comes to the discussions.

Stein and Fischer added that whether Leonard is traded or not, the Clippers have not pursued Brown, and they "aren't planning to make a run" at him.

Leonard, who turned 35 on Monday, is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2026-27.

Because of that, there were some questions about his future when the offseason began, and those questions have now morphed into significant trade rumors.

When it first became apparent that a trade was a real possibility, the Raptors almost immediately emerged as the favorite to land him due to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania that Leonard informed the Clippers that the Raptors are the only team with which he would want to sign an extension.

Before joining the Clippers, Leonard spent one season with the Raptors in 2018-19, leading them to their first and only NBA championship, and winning NBA Finals MVP honors.

While the Clippers could trade Leonard elsewhere as a potential rental, they figure to get a better return from the Raptors if it comes with the assurance of Leonard re-signing.

On top of that, Leonard is coming off his best season in years, as he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 three-pointers made and 1.9 steals en route to being named an All-Star and All-NBA Second Team selection.

Leonard also largely stayed healthy and played in 65 games, marking only the second time he played at least 60 games in the past seven seasons.

As for Brown, he was heavily involved in trade talks focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Milwaukee Bucks decided to trade Giannis to the Miami Heat for a package of young players and draft picks.

It was initially assumed that the Celtics would simply move forward with their current core after that, but Charania reported last week that Boston remained "actively engaged in trade talks" focused on Brown, and that multiple teams were interested.

With Jayson Tatum missing most of last season while recovering from a torn Achilles, Brown averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game, earned All-NBA Second Team honors and finished sixth in NBA MVP voting.

Brown would conceivably be a perfect replacement for the Clippers should they trade Leonard, but based on the reporting of Stein and Fischer, that idea is not on the table.