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Kawhi Leonard sends heartfelt message to Clippers fans after Raptors trade becomes official

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Cite

Martinez, V. (2026, September 19). Kawhi Leonard sends heartfelt message to Clippers fans after Raptors trade becomes official. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/18/sports/kawhi-leonard-sends-heartfelt-message-to-clippers-fans-after-raptors-trade-becomes-official/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-19 · by Valentina Martinez

Quick Summary

Kawhi Leonard posted a farewell video on Instagram thanking Clippers fans for their support after his trade to the Toronto Raptors became official following an NBA investigation. The star forward's departure follows severe penalties imposed on the Clippers, including losing five first-round draft picks and a $30 million fine, as well as owner Steve Ballmer’s suspension. Leonard was fined $700k for his involvement in violating salary cap rules, which delayed the trade initially made in June.
Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Kawhi Leonard posted a heartfelt message on Instagram thanking Clippers fans after his trade to the Toronto Raptors became official. The post included highlights from his time in LA and featured the phrase "thank you" prominently. Despite having spent six seasons with the Clippers, Leonard's departure came amid a scandal that led the NBA to strip the team of five first-round picks and fine them $30 million; owner Steve Ballmer faces a year-long suspension for salary cap circumvention violations. Leonard was also fined $700k for his role in the incident. The trade from the Clippers to the Raptors, initially delayed due to the investigation, now officially changes the landscape of both franchises, leaving the Clippers facing an uncertain future and potential federal scrutiny.

Written for “Kawhi Leonard Trade Announcement” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Kawhi Leonard Trade Announcement
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes was once asked who he wanted to play with in the NBA. He's about to get his wish Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes Scottie Barnes's trade wish coming true with Kawhi Leonard joining the Raptors, while Article B focuses on Kawhi Leonard's farewell message to Clippers fans after the trade was finalized. They are related but describe different specific moments.”
Raptors take gamble on Kawhi Leonard, signing him to two-year contract extension Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes Kawhi Leonard's farewell to Clippers fans after being traded to Toronto, while Article B discusses his new contract with the Raptors.”
For Kawhi Leonard, things are looking pretty good. For Clippers, not so much Different event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events: one is Leonard's farewell message and the other is his contract extension with Toronto.”
Reports: Leonard signs two-year US$115-million contract extension with Raptors Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A reports on Kawhi Leonard's farewell message to Clippers fans after his trade to the Raptors became official, while Article B discusses Leonard signing a contract extension with the Raptors. These describe different but related events.”
Reports: Leonard signs two-year deal with Raptors Different event
Global News
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 63/100
“Article A reports on Kawhi Leonard's farewell message to Clippers fans after his trade became official, while Article B details the signing of a contract extension with the Toronto Raptors.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15208 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Valentina Martinez
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All 135 articles by Valentina Martinez →

Topics

Clip Nation Clippers Instagram NBA Toronto

Subjects

Clippers ORG · 6× Leonard PERSON · 5× NBA ORG · 3× Instagram ORG · 2× Clip Nation ORG · 1× Kawhi Leonard PERSON · 1× Raptors ORG · 1× Steve Ballmer PERSON · 1× Toronto GPE · 1×

Narrative

Leonard returned to the Raptors at a convenient time as the Clippers will have to navigate uncertain times for the future of the franchise.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-19
🔮 Leonard returned to the Raptors at a convenient time as the Clippers will have to navigate uncertain times for the future of the franchise.
2026-09-19 · New York Post
Kawhi Leonard sends heartfelt message to Clippers fans after Raptors trade becomes official · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

Kawhi Leonard said goodbye to Clippers fans after six seasons with the team. asserted
Leonard → say → team
The star forward posted a video on Instagram with highlights throughout his time in LA with the phrase “thank you” centered in the frame. asserted
phrase → post → frame
“I truly appreciate your unwavering support during both the highs and lows. asserted
I → appreciate → highs
Thank you, Clip Nation,” Leonard wrote in his Instagram caption. asserted
Leonard → thank → caption
The 35-year-old notably turned off comments on the post. asserted
old → turn → post
Leonard’s departure comes at a nightmarish period for the Clippers organization. asserted
departure → come → organization
After the NBA’s investigation, the team was stripped of five first-round picks and fined $30 million. asserted
team → strip → million
Owner Steve Ballmer faces a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules. asserted
Ballmer → face → rules
Leonard was also punished for his involvement in the scandal and was fined $700k. asserted
Leonard → punish → 700k
The Clippers initially traded the star forward to Toronto in June, but the trade was put on hold amid the NBA’s investigation. asserted
trade → trade → investigation
After the findings were released, the NBA approved the deal and the trade became official. asserted
trade → release → deal
Leonard returned to the Raptors at a convenient time as the Clippers will have to navigate uncertain times for the future of the franchise. asserted
Clippers → return → franchise
Moreover, the organization is facing a potential federal criminal probe for circumventing the salary cap. asserted
organization → face → cap
But Leonard will have no part in the team’s recovery from the scandal. asserted
Leonard → have → scandal
But he did manage to send one final message to Clippers fans. asserted
he → manage → fans
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