The Kawhi Leonard situation has turned into a mess for the Clippers and Raptors, and the Celtics may be the team that comes out looking best.
A few weeks ago, the move looked all but finished: Leonard was expected to land with Toronto in a deal that would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks the other way. Then the whole thing stalled. The explanation was that the Raptors and Clippers were waiting on the NBA’s investigations into the Clippers, Leonard, and possible salary cap circumvention.
Now the delay has stretched even further. The latest word is that the investigation could drag on into 2027, and that leaves everyone stuck. Toronto does not want to push ahead with a deal if major penalties could hit Leonard, including a suspension or even a voided contract.
That uncertainty could force the Raptors to walk away from the trade entirely. Ingram and Dick are both in the final year of their deals and are still on the roster, which puts Toronto in an awkward spot. The team can’t keep waiting forever on a transaction that may never happen, so it may have to either live with those two returning or start exploring other options.
The Clippers are trapped too. They can’t really move forward with other business until this is sorted out, and they may end up keeping Leonard unless Toronto changes course or another team is willing to take on the risk.
For both sides, it’s a bad outcome. The Clippers were positioned to get a strong haul of draft picks for their frequently injured 35-year-old star and begin a rebuild. Toronto, meanwhile, thought it had a contender built around Leonard, only to now be staring at the possibility of going back to square one with a disgruntled Ingram in the mix.
For Boston, though, the delay cuts in its favor in two different ways.
First, the Raptors may no longer be the threat they looked like they were becoming. Adding Leonard would have made Toronto dangerous on both ends and a real force in the East. Without him, the Celtics may be looking at a team that struggles to finish in the top six.
Second, Boston has a stake in the Clippers’ future as the likely owner of their first-round pick in 2028. That pick is still a long way off, but the Clippers’ path to a quick reset may be getting blocked. If they don’t get the Leonard package they were counting on, they could be stuck in place with the roster and assets they already have, and that’s not ideal from Boston’s perspective.
The longer the Clippers remain stuck in this holding pattern, the longer it could take them to rebuild. And for the Celtics, that only makes the hoped-for 2028 pick look better.
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