The dark cloud that has hung over the Los Angeles Clippers since the beginning of this past season has been the investigation by the NBA of the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for possible salary cap circumvention due to a sponsorship deal with the now-defunct Aspiration, a green banking company.

That investigation is still unsolved and while there haven’t been any consequences because of it yet, the uncertainty that the investigation has introduced has held up one of the most notable deals of the offseason in the trade of Leonard to the Toronto Raptors.

As long as the investigation has gone on there have been multiple reports throughout the timeline dropping in information as it comes, but the most notable factor at this point is the fact that the Raptors and the Clippers have put the trade on hold until the conclusion of the investigation.

The hold occurred after the NBA informed Toronto when the trade was brought to the league that the team would have to assume all possible penalties incurred by the investigation should the deal go through.

While that doesn't guarantee that there will be any consequences for Leonard, the possibility does exist and the idea of the Raptors essentially taking the fall was enough for Toronto to press pause on the trade until there was more clarity in the situation. 

That clarity doesn’t seem like it’s going to come anytime soon though, per a recent report from ESPN's Shams Charania during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

"The Kawhi Leonard deal is paused and from my understanding we're still weeks out from a resolution," Charania said. 

This investigation has certainly dragged on a long time, mostly due to the NBA doing their full due diligence on the matter considering that it involves one of the game's biggest stars. The process has included interviewing executive members of Aspiration prior to their sentencing from crimes involving defrauding Aspriatio investors, including Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

If the investigation is truly weeks away as indicated, that simply leaves more room for speculation as to what the possible consequences of the investigation could be, with some options that have been speculated on being that Leonard's contract could be voided, which is the most extreme option, or that he could at least face some fines or a shorter term suspension.

Or he and the Clippers could be found entirely innocent of any attempt to circumvent the salary cap. Only time will tell at this point, and there will be even more time to sit and ponder the future outcome for Leonard, Los Angeles and Toronto until the investigation is concluded.