Good morning. Seven seasons of Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles ended Monday, and the timing tells you everything about the ten weeks that preceded it. Elsewhere: the Dodgers are going back to October for the 14th straight year, which ties a major-league record. The Padres have won eight in a row. The Angels finally won one. And Sean McVay explained why the Rams changed their minds about Myles Garrett. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 Seven seasons, over. Leonard goes back to the Raptors for Ingram, Dick and picks — Grant Mona in Los Angeles.
⚾ Fourteen straight. The Dodgers clinched in Cincinnati behind Skubal’s best start as a Dodger — Fredo Cervantes at Great American Ball Park.
🏈 “That wasn’t necessarily the case.” McVay on why the Rams reversed course on Garrett — Eric Lambkins at Rams Village.
⚾ Eight in a row. The Padres held off Colorado 8-7 at Coors — Eric Evelhoch at Coors Field.
⚾ Siri and Neto. The Angels snapped a three-game skid at home — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.
🏈 A different worry. Mykell Mathieu on the Rams’ lack of game-breaking speed — Mykell Mathieu at Rams Village.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 4, Reds 1 (clinch) · Angels 6, Mariners 4 · Padres 8, Rockies 7
🏀 THE TRADE THAT COULDN’T CLOSE
The sequence is the story. Toronto and Los Angeles agreed to this deal on June 30. It did not become official until Monday night — because in between, the NBA was investigating salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers, and the league’s findings produced the harshest penalty in its history.
The Clippers fought it. Their lawyer called it a witch hunt. On Sunday night, Ballmer reversed and accepted all of it: a one-year suspension, a $30 million fine, five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.
Monday night, the trade cleared.
What comes back. Two first-round picks, a first-round swap and two seconds, alongside the players — which begins, barely, to replace what the league took.
Brandon Ingram, 29, is the centerpiece. A two-time All-Star, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while starting all 77 games he played for Toronto last season, shooting 47.7% from the field and 38.2% from three. This is a return to where he started — the Lakers drafted him second overall in 2016 — and he has averaged at least 20 a game in each of the last seven seasons.
Gradey Dick, 22, was the 13th pick in 2023 out of Kansas. He gave Toronto 6.0 points in 14 minutes across 76 games last season.
What leaves. Leonard is going back to the franchise he delivered a championship to in 2019 before signing with the Clippers that same summer. He departs on the best scoring season of his career — 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 65 games, All-NBA Second Team, his seventh All-Star selection.
Across seven seasons in Los Angeles: 25.1 points a game in 331 regular-season games, four All-Star selections, two All-Defensive honors, and a run to the franchise’s first Western Conference finals. He leaves sixth on the Clippers’ scoring list at 8,296 points, third in threes, fifth in steals, and holding a share of two franchise records.
GO DEEPER
› Clippers officially trade Kawhi Leonard to Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks (The Sporting Tribune)
› Grant Mona: Steve Ballmer breaks his silence and accepts the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ OCTOBER, FOR THE FOURTEENTH TIME
Fredo Cervantes’s lede does not need embellishing: the Dodgers are going back to October. Again.
The 4-1 win in Cincinnati moved them to 91-59 with 12 to play and locked up a postseason berth for the 14th consecutive season — tying the major-league record.
They did it with the thing that will decide their October. Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless innings on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts, needing only 90 pitches and generating 14 whiffs. He retired the side in order in the sixth on six pitches. Cervantes calls it his best start as a Dodger, and it is hard to argue.
“A postseason trio of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell has the potential to be downright unfair,” Cervantes writes. The qualifier is the bullpen: Elly De La Cruz hit a 457-foot home run off Evan Phillips in the ninth, the third time in a week he has gone deep against Los Angeles pitching — Skubal, Yamamoto and now Phillips.
Kyle Tucker opened the scoring with his 15th, his third in five games. Teoscar Hernández added a two-run shot in the fourth. Kiké Hernández drove in the fourth run in the seventh.
Roster moves. Edgardo Henriquez went on the injured list with lower-back discomfort and will have a scan; Roberts said the club hopes he is available for the playoffs. Emmet Sheehan was optioned. Bobby Miller and Paul Gervase were recalled.
Shohei Ohtani remains eligible to return from the injured list on Sept. 23.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers clinch 14th consecutive postseason berth in Cincinnati (The Sporting Tribune)
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🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location. Six live — the fullest board in a week, and both baseball teams won.
🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Eleven strikeouts in Cincinnati; seven is the bar, and it counts on the road. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.
🍟 McDonald’s (Angels) — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The Angels beat Seattle 6-4 at home. Rewards & Deals in the app.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.
☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.
🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. De La Cruz’s 457-footer off Phillips was the longest of four balls to clear 420 feet Monday; Fernando Tatis Jr. went 449 at Coors. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.
🚒 Firehouse Subs — buy one medium sub, get one free. Code EXTRA, digital orders, Firehouse Rewards account. Last day of the window is tomorrow.
Dark today: Panda Express, the Habit Burger Double Char, ampm and Sunright all need a Dodgers home game, and the club is in Cincinnati until Thursday. The McDonald’s Dodgers nuggets deal needed six runs and got four. The Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine on Friday against the Giants, which reopens the whole board.
🏈 “WE THOUGHT WE’D BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT”
McVay explained Monday in Woodland Hills how the Rams got here, and the answer is that they had a plan for Garrett’s knee and the plan did not survive the opener.
“We thought it was something that we’d be able to manage that wasn’t necessarily the case,” McVay said. “It was right after the game in terms of listening to how he felt, how he was able to impact the game, and even what you guys saw with how limited we had to be with him.”
That is a coach conceding that his own staff misjudged it — and it lines up with what Garrett told Arash Markazi in Melbourne, that he spent the game protecting himself rather than rushing the passer.
McVay would not set a timeline. “I think it’d be unfair to him without having the totality of all the information,” he said, allowing only that Garrett will be available in four weeks “potentially.”
Donald is still a question. McVay has not decided whether Aaron Donald plays Monday night against the Giants, and he pushed back on the idea that Garrett’s absence forces the issue. “They don’t have anything to do with one another.” Asked whether he expects Donald to be the player he was before retiring: “I do. That’s what my expectations are and my level of confidence in him.”
Josaiah Stewart gets the first crack at the snaps. Elsewhere on the injury report: Kam Curl (ankle) is doing well, Nate Landman (shoulder, thumb) is expected to play, Davis Allen returned in the opener, and Omar Speights has a hip pointer with swelling but is ahead of schedule.
The fix McVay named is the passing game. “The lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the pass game prevented us from getting any continuity. And like I told you, it always starts with me.”
He also had praise for Blake Corum in limited work and for Quentin Lake, who intercepted a pass and communicated well.
“Let’s not ignore the things that we can learn from, but we can’t lose twice to that,” McVay said.
GO DEEPER
› Rams change course with Myles Garrett as Sean McVay looks for response to opening loss (The Sporting Tribune)
› Mykell Mathieu: Rams’ lack of game-breaking speed could become a major concern (The Sporting Tribune)
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Eight straight for San Diego. The Padres held on 8-7 at Coors Field, where nothing is ever safe, and are playing the best baseball of anyone in our markets. Tatis hit a 449-foot home run in the second.
The Angels stopped the bleeding. Jack Haslett was at Angel Stadium as Jose Siri and Zach Neto carried a 6-4 win over Seattle, ending a three-game losing streak that had all come in Washington.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Evelhoch: Padres hold off Rockies 8-7 for eighth straight win (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Jose Siri and Zach Neto go off in Angels win over Mariners (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Reds — Great American Ball Park — 3:40 p.m. — SNLA
⚾ MLB: Padres at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — Padres TV
⚾ MLB: Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV
Coming up: The Rams host the Giants on Monday night at SoFi. The Dodgers come home Friday to face the Giants. UNLV and Hawai’i return from bye weeks on Sept. 26 — the Rebels at Akron, the Rainbow Warriors at Wyoming. Ohtani is eligible off the IL on Sept. 23.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ Mariners at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4
⚾ Giants at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium (Friday) — $64
🏈 Giants at Rams — SoFi Stadium (Monday) — $100
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Kawhi Leonard leaves Los Angeles holding a share of two Clippers franchise records. One is most points in a game, with 55. What is the other?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Today’s episode: the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the end of the Kawhi Leonard era in Los Angeles and the ten weeks it took to close, a Dodgers clinch that ties a major-league record, and McVay admitting the Rams misread Myles Garrett’s knee.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: Consecutive games scoring 20 or more points, with 57.
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