The Los Angeles Clippers - and Leonard - were punished by the NBA on Wednesday, but there is an impact on the Celtics also.
On Wednesday, both the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard were punished by the NBA after the Clippers were found guilty of circumventing the salary cap and paying Leonard for "endorsement deals," that were in violation.
There's a lot of information here, but the bottom line is this: Leonard needs to pay $700,000 in restitution, the Clippers have been docked five first-round picks, and owner Steve Ballmer has been fined $30 million. In addition, Ballmer and multiple Clippers executives have earned suspensions of varying lengths. Ballmer has been suspended for one year, but he may fight that in court, potentially delaying when the suspension actually starts.
However, Leonard is not receiving a suspension, which is the thing that matters most to the Boston Celtics. Because, with this case out of the way, Leonard is free to be traded back to the Toronto Raptors, as he was going to be before this investigation began.
That means the Raptors are getting better, and the Celtics are getting more competition again in the Eastern Conference. Leonard will pair with the likes of Brandon Ingram to make a formidable pair.
Toronto went 46-36 last season, advancing to the playoffs and losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. So, they were already good, and with Leonard they have a chance to be much better.
We've already stated that we think the Celtics are set to be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, behind the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons. The Raptors fall into the group of teams that we feel the Celtics are comparable to, but with Leonard in the fold, they may be able to take that No. 5 spot and send the Celtics to that No. 6 spot.
Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) defends Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the second half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesAbout Leonard
A 14-year veteran out of San Diego State, Leonard has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He helped the Raptors win their only title in 2018-19 and will return back to the city to try to do it again. Quiet, mercurial and injured often throughout his career, Leonard is a very impactful player - when he's on the floor.
He hasn't played 70 games in a season since 2016-17 and has played 65 or more only twice since then. Now 35 years old, he finished seventh in the NBA MVP voting a year ago after averaging 27.9 ppg. He's also an impactful defender who has made seven All-Defensive teams.
He's a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time NBA champion and a seven-time All-Star.
