TORONTO – That sound you heard just before 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday was a team’s fan base – and at least a few people inside the organization – letting out a collective sigh of relief.

Seventy-six days after it was agreed to in principle, 67 days after it was paused, and 12 days after the NBA wrapped the investigation that cleared the way for its completion, the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors finally became official.

The deal went through as initially constructed, with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft capital (unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a pick swap, and two second rounders) heading to the Los Angeles Clippers, and Leonard returning to the Raptors, the team he led to the 2019 championship.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said in the team’s Monday night press release. “His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable, and he embodies the competitiveness and championship mindset that we value. We believe his leadership, experience and talent will help us as we continue building toward our next championship.”

All’s well that ends well, but it’s been a long and unusual three months since the unlikely reunion was first reported in late June; an entire offseason of uncertainty and wondering when – or if – it would come to fruition.

The Raptors were always confident. They were the ones that put the trade on hold, a precautionary measure guarding against the outcome of the NBA’s year-long investigation into Leonard, the Clippers, and their alleged salary cap circumvention. They waited for the league’s ruling. Then, after the verdict came down, they waited for the Clippers to come to terms with their punishment, figure out who’s in charge in the wake of suspensions to the owner and president of basketball operations, and re-engage on the trade. All the while, they believed that it was only a matter of time.

It wasn’t a sure thing, though. However unlikely, the NBA could have dropped the hammer on Leonard, issuing a lengthy suspension that would’ve jeopardized the trade or even voiding his contract altogether. After he was let off with a mere slap on the wrist – a $700,000 fine – the Clippers didn’t seem to be in any rush to complete the trade, leading some to wonder if they were holding out to spite Leonard.

In the end, it made too much sense for both teams to move forward, which is why, according to league sources, there was never real consideration to altering the terms of the deal. In addition to simply being in bad form, neither side had the leverage to renegotiate.

The Clippers needed the picks, and no team was offering more or higher upside draft capital for Leonard than Toronto. The pair of unprotected firsts they’re getting from the Raptors – both conveying after the 35-year-old future hall of famer turns 40 and is likely retired – should help in recouping the five first-rounders they just forfeited.

They could have played hardball and threatened to blow up the trade, selling Leonard to the next highest bidder or holding him hostage for the season to cost him his extension, but that would’ve came at the expense of the franchise and its fans. Ballmer appears to have come to his senses, reluctantly accepting the league’s discipline over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Raptors need Leonard. They owe Ingram a debt of gratitude for committing to his health and re-establishing himself as an all-star a year ago. It expedited their rebuild, made them competitive again, and put them in a position that was appealing to Leonard, but there was a ceiling to what an Ingram-led Raptors team could do and they may have reached it last season.

Leonard’s been around the team for most of the summer, training alongside them but limited to individual workouts, technically still a member of the Clippers. The Raptors have welcomed their Finals MVP and his family back with open arms. They’ve come too far to walk it back, especially if they plan on keeping pace in a much-improved Eastern Conference.

This summer has been an exercise in patience for both franchises, but with the start of training camp just two weeks away, there was a sense of urgency to get it done.

Now that it is, they can finally start to look ahead. The next order of business for Leonard and his (fortunately) new representation is to negotiate an extension with Toronto, one that could be worth up to $126 million over two years (keeping him under contract through the 2028-29 season). They’ve had plenty of time to consider what that might look like, so coming to terms should be the easiest part of their reunion, to this point.

Then it’s time to get down to work. The Raptors will hold training camp in Quebec City for the first time since they were beginning their championship defence, sans Leonard, in the fall of 2019. Leonard’s ill-fated seven-year tenure with the Clippers ends with just three playoff series wins to show for it – fewer than he won in his lone season with Toronto. It was mired in injury and controversy, and he leaves them in ruin. You would imagine he’s anxious to turn the page and he’ll have the chance to do that with a team that instantly becomes a contender in the loaded East.

He’s 35 and few players come with more baggage or a lengthier injury history, so the trade and subsequent extension are not without significant risk. But he’s coming off the best season of his 14-year career, and if they can manage his health and keep him in (relatively) one piece going into the playoffs, they know what the reward yields. They’re the ones that wrote the blueprint.

It’s no longer just wishful thinking to imagine what Leonard, a seven-time All-NBA defender, can do with a young Raptors team that ranked fifth on that end of the floor last season. You don’t have to daydream to envision him paired with another all-league defender in Scottie Barnes, coming into his own after a breakout playoff series last spring, or mentoring all-rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles. At least not for long. The preseason opener is less than three weeks away. The regular season tips off at home on Oct. 21. It’s real now. It’s happening.

The trade is official and Leonard is a Raptor again. Exhale.