The Toronto Raptors still want to move forward on the Kawhi Leonard deal, but there’s one major catch: the terms may not stay the same if the league hands Leonard a real punishment.
That was the message from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on “Get Up,” where he said the Raptors remain interested in completing the trade even as the NBA investigates a possible salary-cap circumvention scheme tied to the Los Angeles Clippers, Leonard, his uncle Dennis and the carbon credit company Aspiration.
Windhorst said the league’s decision to freeze the deal leaves the door open for a penalty that could hit Leonard directly.
“The Raptors, in their statement yesterday, said they were eager to want this trade to happen, but if Kawhi Leonard faces a real penalty here, we could see the trade terms reopened, and I think that’s what the Raptors are trying to protect themselves,” Windhorst said.
The original framework was a hefty one. It included Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and second-round picks in 2030 and 2033.
Windhorst also said the Clippers still want the deal done.
“The Clippers still want to do this trade badly they’re getting a whole bunch of draft capital in this deal,” Windhorst said.
The league is investigating after Pablo Torre spent the past 11 months digging through what he described as evidence tied to the alleged scheme. The NBA has already frozen the move that would have brought Leonard back to Toronto.
If the league decides Leonard should face a serious penalty, that could include voiding his contract or a suspension. In that case, Toronto would want the chance to revisit the structure before signing off.
The Clippers have continued to insist they did nothing wrong, even as the scrutiny has grown. And with outgoing Raptors president Larry Tanenbaum set to have a strong voice in any punishment handed down to the Clippers or Leonard, the fact that these two teams were connected in the trade may not be a coincidence.
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