Latest Kawhi Leonard Trade Update Suggests Suspension May Be Unlikely

After what was a disappointing end to an impressive season last year, the Toronto Raptors knew they wanted to take a leap to elevate their team even further. They did just that in acquiring Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, but at a cost of limbo.

The NBA’s continued investigation into the Clippers, which is centered on if they circumvented the salary cap by funding Leonard through an endorsement deal with Aspiration, has continued to stall the completion of the trade. Speculation grew of any potential penalties and even a chance of the deal not going through, but a recent report claims otherwise. 

Recently, there has been an increasing belief that the NBA’s investigation is nearing a resolution with a likely outcome that there will be no suspensions distributed, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Toronto would be more than thrilled for that to be the case.

The investigation is believed to have moved beyond the stage of fact-finding, as the parties involved are working to resolve the issue. But of note, a couple of different factors stand out in the report as the most likely outcomes.

A negotiated settlement in which the NBA gets to enforce a version of its rules is most likely to occur out of the investigation. Grange also reported that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will likely get to “save face” and that Leonard will be able to play for the Raptors in the end.

There has been steady optimism that Leonard will be with the Raptors upon the start of training camp, and that is exactly what Toronto could have hoped for.

Toronto initially came to terms with the Clippers on June 30, agreeing to send a haul over to Los Angeles in order to bring Kawhi back to the city he brought a championship to in 2019. The Raptors agreed to trade Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft picks to Los Angeles.

While the deal has not been official for some time now, there has been a silent confidence that the trade will eventually be completed. But for now, all the sides can do is await a decision from the NBA.

Recently, podcaster Pablo Torre revealed that Leonard had signed a hidden contract with Daktronics, the manufacturer that created the Clippers’ $100 million scoreboard inside Intuit Dome. Only time will tell what comes out of the potential circumvention.