It's no secret that the Detroit Pistons have been searching for a second star to pair alongside Cade Cunningham, and a week ago, ESPN's Vincent Goodwill reported that they inquired about Kawhi Leonard (and that he wasn't interested). While doing their due diligence is understandable, his age (35), combined with his injury history, would've made a trade risky.
Unfortunately, Leonard is already sidelined one week into the season. He played in the Raptors' first two games, but missed Sunday's game against the Timberwolves with knee soreness. On Tuesday morning, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the forward is expected to miss "a period of weeks."
Toronto's Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss a period of weeks due to swelling in his left knee, sources tell ESPN. MRI on Leonard's knee showed no structural damage, but sides will use the shorter term to ramp him back up after the stoppages during the offseason. pic.twitter.com/DBAgI3v38D
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2026
He'll be re-evaluated in one week, but that doesn't mean he will be cleared to play then. While it's good that Leonard isn't expected to miss much time, it's also not encouraging for Toronto that the star is already missing time.
The Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks to the Clippers for Leonard. Toronto paid that price because it believed that Kawhi would help the team raise another banner, and while no one can argue that he isn't capable of doing so (we've seen it before!), he has to stay healthy. That's the challenge.
Pistons trading for Kawhi Leonard would've been a gamble
Going through with a trade for Leonard would've quieted the chatter about Detroit taking pressure off Cunningham (who has played only 70 games in his career), but Kawhi missing time due to injury could've added more strain on the guard.
A trade would've looked good on paper, at least on the roster. But the trade and the extension (Toronto signed him to a two-year, $115 million deal)? Not so much.
The Pistons have established themselves as a top team in the East, finishing atop the conference last season. That success didn't translate to the playoffs as fans would've liked, but Detroit still took a step forward by reaching the second round for the first time since 2008. The goal should be to build on that in 2027, and a player like Leonard would've made that possible.
He could've also been the reason it may not be possible, given concerns about his ability to stay healthy enough to make it through a deep playoff run. Leonard played in all seven games of the Clippers' first-round series against the Nuggets in 2025, but played only two games in each of the team's two previous first-round series.
The last time Kawhi played more than one postseason series was in 2021. He missed two games in the second round (he played four) and didn't play at all in the conference finals due to a right knee sprain.
As great a player he is, and as much as he raises a team's floor, his health would've made it hard for Detroit to justify investing in Leonard.
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