The Clippers’ punishment may be the headline, but the ripple effects could stretch far beyond the five first-round picks they’re set to lose in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. With confirmation that Kawhi Leonard won’t be hit with a void contract or a lengthy suspension, the long-awaited Clippers-Raptors trade feels closer to getting fully untangled. And even then, the deal may still have another layer waiting underneath: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and maybe even Masai Ujiri.
Dick was already flagged as a possible question mark in Los Angeles, largely because the Clippers may need to clear roster space before the season starts. Ingram looks safer at first glance, since he appears to be the central player coming back in the deal.
But that may not be the end of his path with the Clippers. As Elaine Blum noted, “Notorious B.I.3” could become another trade chip, one LA uses to soften the draft-pick damage in a smaller way.
That idea came up in an emergency episode of the Third Apron Podcast, where Yossi Gozlan and Sam Quinn of CBS Sports dug into the fallout from the investigation. Gozlan laid out the possibility of the Clippers using Ingram to bring back worse money or extra assets, with a first-round pick as the sweetener. He also pointed to a team that already had real interest in Ingram: the Raptors under Masai Ujiri.
Gozlan said: “[…] I think the challenge with Ingram is if you're going to get a first, yes, value in that is taking on worse money, but I think you also need a team to want Ingram. And he's not an easy player to slot into a lot of systems.
So I just look around, who's a team who was very interested in Ingram? The Raptors under Masai Ujiri.
Maybe in the future there could be something done where they trade a low-value first and you just take like a combination of guys like Caleb Martin, PJ [Washington], one of PJ or [Daniel] Gafford, something like that. So it’s a bit of a consolidation trade if that's something the Mavericks are interested in.”
That idea has a familiar ring to it. Not long ago, the Mavericks’ roster situation and the Masai connection had me thinking Toronto could be the team that helps solve part of that puzzle. Caleb Martin and Daniel Gafford were two of the names I mentioned as possible pieces in a deal for RJ Barrett, whose future in Toronto still doesn’t feel settled.
If Ingram gets moved again, Ujiri could circle back to a player he once liked and try to tap into that value in Dallas. You can make the case for either RJ Barrett or Brandon Ingram as the more appealing piece for Masai’s Mavericks, but the one constant is Ujiri’s preference for wings and forwards.
Daniel Gafford, in particular, stands out as a fit for Toronto despite the injury concerns. The issue is that if he ended up in Los Angeles, the Raptors would miss a chance to improve at center. A Toronto-LA path that sent Gafford to the Six, possibly with Jakob Poeltl and a pick going the other way, would be the cleaner outcome from Toronto’s side.
Still, the Clippers’ thin frontcourt means Gafford would make plenty of sense there too. He could step in as an interim starting center whenever needed. Poeltl may not bring the same level of confidence, but if the Clippers are truly focused on collecting as many picks as possible, the season could open the door to all kinds of movement.
That kind of opportunism fits Ujiri’s history. Across his Raptors run, he has often taken chances on players whose value around the league had slipped, betting he could get them back on track.
It hasn’t always worked, but it has been part of his playbook. If he decides to jump back into this mess, the list of moving parts around the original LA-Toronto deal could get even longer.
In Other News...
Kawhi's Toronto Reunion Is Still Stuck For One Serious Reason
Kawhi Leonards path back to Toronto got a lot less complicated once the NBA decided not to suspend him after its investigation into the Clippers contract-related conduct. For a Raptors team that still carries the imprint of Leonards brief but unforgettable run, that ruling removed a major obstacle from any reunion and turned the conversation back to basketball and whatever form a deal might take.
Still, the trade remains unfinished, and the silence from both sides has only deepened the uncertainty around it. Toronto has not publicly confirmed anything, and there is no sign of a formal renegotiation, even as the Clippers sort through the fallout from the leagues punishment and potential legal options. For now, the idea of Leonard back in Raptors colors is alive, but the hold-up is serious enough to keep the whole thing in limbo. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Put Themselves In A Risky Spot With RJ Barrett
The Raptors offseason has been moving at a crawl, slowed by the NBAs investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers and by the expectation that Leonards long-discussed trade situation will soon finally be resolved. In the meantime, Toronto has a few different contract matters to sort through, including decisions involving Leonard and Jamal Shead as the club starts looking ahead to the next season.
RJ Barrett is the most notable one still hanging in the balance. Toronto has not yet settled on whether to extend him, and with his future still unclear, the front office is left trying to weigh timing as much as talent. The longer the process drags on, the more the Raptors risk entering the season with another major piece of their rotation carrying a cloud of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Why This Raptors Core Could Be Much More Dangerous This Season
The Raptors head into this season with a core that already showed it can hang with the leagues best, and the appeal is obvious: this group has the versatility to play more than one style without losing its identity. Even after a playoff run that ended in the first round, there is a sense that the rosters two-way foundation gives Toronto a real platform in the Eastern Conference if it can stay intact and healthy.
Last seasons defense was a major part of that case, with the team finishing near the top of the league on that end and giving itself a chance in nearly every matchup. Toronto was also still part of the small group of teams in championship contention when its postseason ended, which is a reminder that the gap between a solid playoff team and something more dangerous might not be all that large. [Read more 🡒]