As the basketball world digests the ramifications of the penalties the NBA levied on the Clippers for violating the league’s cap circumvention rules, there’s another piece of business for the embattled Los Angeles team to attend to: the still-pending Kawhi Leonard trade to the Raptors.
The deal has, to this point, remained unofficial as the teams waited on the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Leonard. The Raptors were hesitant to move forward on the trade until they learned what penalties Kawhi himself might face as a result of the probe, since any discipline related to his contract or his availability for the 2026/27 season would impact them.
The NBA announced today that the two-time Finals MVP failed to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses and will be required to pay $700K to the league. However, that’s the extent of the discipline he’ll face, meaning “everything is on track” for the Clippers and Raptors to officially complete their trade, ESPN’s Shams Charania stated during an appearance on SportsCenter (Twitter video link).
“This was the last piece of information that the Raptors were waiting on,” Charania said. “The full expectation around the Raptors and around Kawhi Leonard and the league is that this trade will be going through in the next couple of days.”
In Leonard’s statement made after the league’s ruling on the Clippers was made public, the star wing spoke of the trade as if it were a done deal, saying, “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
The deal in question would send Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick back to the Clippers, along with the Raptors’ unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a pick swap in 2027.
Since L.A. will forfeit five first-round picks as a result of their cap-related violations, those Raptors first-rounders could prove crucial to the team tries to rebuild in the wake of both the investigation and a Leonard-Paul George era that resulted in just three playoff series wins. Assuming the trade is finalized as planned, those Toronto picks will be the only first-rounders the Clippers control between 2030 and 2033.