Kawhi Leonard is expecting the long-discussed trade to Toronto to finally get across the finish line before the Raptors open training camp next month, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
The deal has been sitting in limbo since it was first reported in late June. Leonard is still officially with the Clippers because the NBA’s investigation into allegations that Los Angeles tried to work around the salary cap to pay him beyond his contract numbers is still ongoing. Toronto has held off on making the move official until the league wraps up the probe and announces a resolution.
Fischer reports that the trade was agreed to with the understanding that Leonard would then work toward a multiyear extension with the Raptors in what would be his second stint with the team. Leonard is set to make $50.3MM this season, and if no extension is signed, he would hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
There’s a lot more tied up in this investigation than just Leonard. If the trade is completed, Toronto would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap, and two second-round selections to Los Angeles.
The case stretches back to last summer, when Leonard’s endorsement arrangement with Aspiration, the now-defunct green banking company that also had a sponsorship deal with the Clippers, drew scrutiny. Pablo Torre described Leonard’s contract with Aspiration as a “no-show” endorsement deal, and that prompted the NBA to open its investigation.
Last week brought another wrinkle. It was reported that Leonard also allegedly had a hidden, “multi-million” dollar endorsement deal with Daktronics, the company behind the Clippers‘ ‘Halo Board’ scoreboard in Intuit Dome. Torre and Sam Koppelman of Hunterbrook Media, who broke that story, said they could not find evidence that Leonard actually did endorsement work for Daktronics under the agreement.
Fischer says the recent details from Torre’s podcast - including the alleged Daktronics arrangement and an ownership stake in a Rhode Island soccer team with tangential ties to Ballmer and the Clippers - were already known to the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which is handling the investigation.
The Clippers, Fischer reports, are ready to pursue arbitration depending on how harsh the league’s penalties are once the findings come out. Commissioner Adam Silver said last month he expected the investigation to be finished this summer.
For now, Fischer notes that a resolution is expected within the next six weeks, with some level of NBA sanctions likely coming down on the Clippers - and the Leonard trade still expected to be completed.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Keeps Clippers Under A Cloud As Toronto Waits
Kawhi Leonards path from the Clippers to Toronto has been stuck in limbo while the NBA looks into possible salary cap circumvention tied to the deal, leaving an unusual cloud over a move that was supposed to reshape both teams. Leonard has denied any wrongdoing and has stayed publicly quiet through the process, but for now the uncertainty hangs over the Clippers as much as it does the Raptors, who have been waiting to see whether the trade can move forward.
For Toronto, the hold-up is more than an administrative wrinkle because it affects when Leonard can get settled with a new team and begin the next stage of his return. Sources say the leagues review is getting closer to a finish, and there is at least a path toward having him available in time for training camp, but until the investigation is wrapped up, the most important part of the story remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonard Just Reopened A Clippers Issue Fans Thought Was Over
Kawhi Leonards contract situation is back in the spotlight at a moment when the Clippers would probably prefer it stay quiet. He is eligible for a two-year extension, but the broader conversation around his future has been complicated by the NBAs ongoing investigation into whether endorsement deals were used in a way that skirted the salary cap. For a team that has already built plenty of its recent identity around Leonard, any uncertainty around his next deal carries obvious weight.
The league has not announced any official rulings, which leaves the issue hanging over both Leonard and the teams involved. Even without a final decision, the possibility of discipline is enough to keep this story alive, because the outcome could reshape more than just one players contract. For the Clippers, the bigger concern is that a matter once thought settled is now open again, with no clear timetable for when it will be resolved. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Rebounding Problem Is Turning Ben Simmons Into A Real Option
The Clippers frontcourt issues have become hard to ignore, and they are the kind of problem that can reshape how a team thinks about the rest of its roster. Rebounding has been a sore spot, and with that in mind, Ben Simmons is starting to look less like a curiosity and more like a practical answer. The free agent guard-forward has already spent time with the club, which gives Los Angeles some built-in familiarity if it chooses to revisit the idea.
Simmons is also said to be open to a veteran minimum deal, which only adds to the appeal for a team trying to patch holes without spending heavily. His recent athleticism has reportedly been better, and his rebounding has long been one of the clearest parts of his value. For a Clippers team searching for size, activity and a little more control on the glass, the fit is easy enough to see, even if the decision still comes with the usual Simmons questions attached. [Read more 🡒]