Kawhi Is Headed Back to the Raptors! Plus, Where Will LeBron Sign and Ja Traded to Portland
July 1, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe 24 hours that just passed in the NBA felt like a full offseason compressed into a single news cycle. Two defining eras of Los Angeles basketball ended on the same day: Kawhi Leonard was traded back to the Toronto Raptors, and LeBron James told the Lakers he is leaving. The Zach Lowe Show, with Rob Mahoney, sorted through the wreckage and the opportunity across the league.
Kawhi Returns to Toronto
The Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), a pick swap, and two second-round picks. The deal ends the seven-year "streetlights versus spotlights" era in Los Angeles, where Kawhi won more playoff series in one season with Toronto (three, including a championship) than he did in seven with the Clippers (three total, none since 2021). The Clippers' inability to get through a single healthy playoff run defined the era: Kawhi missed part of the first-round series in 2023 and 2024, and the team simply never got the version of him that carried Toronto.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:07) **Kawhi Leonard Traded Back to the Raptors** - The Clippers trade Kawhi to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, two unprotected firsts, Grady Dick, a pick swap, and two seconds, ending the Kawhi-PG era.
- 2 (24:27) **LeBron James Leaving the Lakers** - LeBron tells the Lakers he is leaving, with the Warriors, Cavs, Heat, and other teams as potential destinations.
- 3 (46:12) **Dean Wade Signs with the Sixers** - Dean Wade agrees to a four-year, $39 million deal with Philadelphia, opening up flexibility for Cleveland.
- 4 (49:40) **Ja Morant Traded to the Trail Blazers** - Memphis trades Ja Morant to Portland for Jerami Grant and Chris Murray, ending the Grizzlies' era.
- 5 (66:05) **Jalen Brown and the Celtics' Uncomfortable Position** - The Celtics face a difficult situation with Jalen Brown after the Giannis trade fell through, with few clear trade partners remaining.
- 6 (73:32) **Jalen Duren's Restricted Free Agency Gets Spicy** - Duren, coming off a poor playoff run, is meeting with teams (Kings, Lakers) for potential sign-and-trades, but Detroit holds all the leverage.
- 7 (79:13) **Quick Hits: Champagne, Hartenstein, Hardaway Jr., and More** - A roundup of smaller moves: Julian Champagnie to the Spurs, Isaiah Hartenstein back to OKC, Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Heat, and the Nuggets' inactivity.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Zach is joined by Rob Mahoney to discuss the Kawhi trade, LeBron announcing that he will not return to the Lakers, and Ja being traded to the Trail Blazers.
(0:00) Welcome to The Zach Lowe Show!
(02:56) Kawhi traded to the Raptors
(22:59) LeBron is leaving the Lakers
(29:14) Rob and Zach's ideal teams for LeBron
(46:33) Ja Morant traded to the Trail Blazers
Host: Zach Lowe
Guest: Rob Mahoney
Producers: Jonathan Frias, Michael Szokoli, Mike Wargon
Social: Keith Fujimoto and Michael Szokoli
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