In addition to Leonard now being free to go to Toronto, the Celtics will end up with juicy draft pick compensation.
On Wednesday, the NBA handed down massive punishments in the Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration/Los Angeles Clippers saga.
As a result of the investigation into whether or not the Clippers circumvented the salary cap, the team was docked five first-round picks moving forward, with owner Steve Ballmer getting a one-year suspension and front office executives also getting suspended.
Leonard himself was fined $700,000, but was not suspended, and he's now free to be traded to the Toronto Raptors, as we have expected for months.
Earlier on Thursday, we focused mainly on the Leonard side of things with regards to the Boston Celtics. With him set to head to Toronto, the Raptors get better, which certainly makes life tougher for the Celtics.
However, there is another big impact in this deal for Boston, and it has to deal with the NBA Draft.
As noted by several places, the Celtics own a very valuable "pick swap" in 2028 as a result of the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.
If the Clippers pick lands in the range of 17-30, then the C's get the pick automatically. If the Clippers pick lands in the range of No. 1-16, then the Celtics have the right to swap it for the better of the Clippers or 76ers picks.
Well, without Leonard, and without first round picks to use or trade, the Clippers seem set to get significantly worse, with no real way out. As a result, the Celtics have potentially given themselves a very good draft pick in that 2028 draft.
What might they do with it?
Well, the Celtics can hold that draft pick obviously and potentially take a really good and impactful player in the draft. It's too early to know what the draft class in 2028 will look like, but the C's drafted Brown at No. 3 in 2016 and Jayson Tatum at No. 3 in 2017, so there's precedent for them hitting on super high draft picks.
This would help them get younger, more athletic, and would help them continue to reset financially, something that seems important in the wake of trading Brown.
However, if they don't want to do those things, then they can dangle this pick out there as a trade idea. Other teams might see the value in those very same things and might be willing to give the Celtics an impact player in a deal for it.
