The Kawhi Leonard trade saga is finally closing in on the finish line.
Toronto appears ready to complete its blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, and the final league hurdle has now been cleared. After months of uncertainty while the NBA investigated Leonard and the Clippers, the league handed down its decision: Leonard was not suspended, and his Clippers contract was not voided. The punishment landed elsewhere, with Los Angeles losing five future first-round picks, being fined $30 million, and seeing its owner suspended for a year.
The Clippers have said they want to appeal, but according to Shams Charania of ESPN, the NBA’s rulings are final and the only path to challenge the punishment would be through court.
That mattered because the big question hanging over this offseason was whether the NBA’s discipline would block the Leonard blockbuster from ever getting done. It no longer appears to be an issue. For Toronto, the key outcome of the investigation was what it did not do: it did not stop the trade.
Now the focus has shifted from possibility to timing. NBA spokesperson Tim Frank reportedly said the league is simply waiting on the Raptors and Clippers to submit the deal, which is the last step before everything becomes official.
Leonard, meanwhile, is already sounding like a player preparing for a return to Toronto. He released a statement saying, "As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate"
There is still no official timetable, but all signs point in the same direction. If the two teams move quickly and send in the transaction, Leonard could officially be a Toronto Raptor again before the weekend is over.
After more than two months of waiting, the finish line finally looks close.
In Other News...
Raptors Face A Costly Kawhi Gamble After NBA Punishment
The NBA handed down its harshest possible penalties in the Clippers salary-cap circumvention case, putting a long-brewing Kawhi Leonard controversy back in the spotlight. For Raptors fans, it is another reminder of how much the league has tried to police the gray area around Leonards off-court earning power and the incentives that followed him to Los Angeles after his championship run in Toronto.
What makes the punishment sting even more is how broad it reached beyond the player himself. Leonard was fined for the violations tied to those off-court income opportunities and for not reimbursing the Clippers for personal expenses, while the fallout also swept up the people around him, including a five-year league ban for Dennis Robertson and a one-year suspension for Steve Ballmer. It is the kind of ruling that closes one chapter only to leave the bigger question hanging over how this all happened in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Suddenly Have Real Leverage In The Kawhi Leonard Trade
Brian Windhorst floated an interesting wrinkle on the Hoop Collective podcast: Toronto may not be locked into simply taking the original Kawhi Leonard trade framework as it stands. With the Clippers now dealing with the fallout from the salary cap circumvention scandal, the Raptors could have a chance to revisit a deal that once looked straightforward, even though no fresh demand from Toronto has been reported.
The leverage point, at least in Windhorsts view, is the draft compensation attached to the swap. The previously reported package sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a 2027 first-round swap and two second-round picks to Los Angeles, and Toronto may suddenly have more room to push back on that kind of outlay if the Clippers are in a weakened spot. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Green Just Put A Raptors Champion In Rare Company
Danny Greens post-playing life is already giving Raptors fans a reason to smile. Since retiring after a 15-year NBA career, the former Toronto wing has moved into sports broadcasting, and in a recent interview with Spectrum SportsNet he was asked to name the best teammates he ever had. The list was loaded with Hall of Fame weight, but it also included a familiar Toronto face from the 2019 championship run, a reminder of how deeply that title team still resonates with the veterans who helped deliver it.
What stands out for Raptors fans is how naturally Green spoke about his connection with OG Anunoby, one of the most important two-way pieces on that title roster. Green said the two remain in touch, which says plenty about the bond formed during that championship season and about the company Anunoby now finds himself in when a veteran like Green reflects on a 15-year career. For a player who shared locker rooms with LeBron James and Tim Duncan, that kind of recognition carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]