Kawhi Leonard trade raising questions amid Clippers punishment

The unfinished Kawhi Leonard trade has become “a bit of a mystery” already amid the NBA’s brutal punishment against the LA Clippers.

Crédito: AP/Scanpix nuotr.

Questions are already emerging about why the Kawhi Leonard trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors still hasn’t been made official.

Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, the unfinished trade has cast doubt right after the NBA punished the Clippers.

“With a week having passed since the NBA came down hard on the Clippers with its ruling in the historic salary-cap circumvention case centered on the 35-year-old small forward, that remains to be seen, but the reasons for the continued delay, it’s safe to say, have become a bit of a mystery to people involved in the process and around the league,” the report indicated.

Kawhi Leonard trade still unfinished

The Toronto Raptors have traded Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future unprotected first-rounders, two first-round pick swaps and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Kawhi Leonard back in July.

However, the reported deal hasn’t been finalized yet, even though the Clippers already received their punishment for illegally circumventing the salary cap, which allowed Leonard to earn under-the-table deals.

Both the Clippers and the Raptors have notably agreed to pause the trade, as the latter were hesitant to take full accountability for whatever sanctions Leonard might face from the investigation.

Clippers still taking time to finalize interim front office leadership

As reported, the cause of the trade delay around Kawhi Leonard has been the ongoing restructuring of the LA Clippers ‘ front office.

As part of the punishments, suspensions were handed down to team owner Steve Ballmer and top executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank. Even if they were reported to be frustrated about the minimal sanctions the NBA imposed on Leonard, the Clippers have insisted that the trade will still happen, as they are just identifying their basketball operations department leadership.

The Clippers are planning to name GM Trent Redden interim president of basketball operations following Frank’s six-month suspension. 

Si te gusta nuestro contenido, por favor haz clic aquí y añádenos como tu fuente preferida. Nos ayudas mucho y nosotros nos comprometemos a ofrecerte siempre las últimas noticias de baloncesto.