{"id":819450,"date":"2026-08-24T12:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T12:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/819450\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T12:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T12:27:16","slug":"kawhi-leonard-is-clearly-not-worried-about-investigation-or-the-trade-to-raptors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/819450\/","title":{"rendered":"Kawhi Leonard Is Clearly Not Worried About Investigation or the Trade to Raptors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though there is less than two months left before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers are still waiting on the resolution of the Kawhi Leonard investigation<\/a>. The cap circumvention investigation has been ongoing for almost a year, hanging over the head of the franchise. <\/p>\n

Fortunately, all signs are pointing towards the finalization of the investigation sooner rather than later. The recent reports suggest that the league is currently negotiating with the Clippers for an appropriate penalty. <\/p>\n

ESPN’s latest reporting revealed that the league has found no evidence of direct funneling of funds <\/a>from Steve Ballmer to Leonard through an intermediary company. The hope is that this will help the Clippers avoid the worst-case scenario. <\/p>\n

It’s clear that Leonard himself certainly thinks that. The 35-year-old superstar doesn’t seem worried about the finalization of his pending trade to the Toronto Raptors. <\/p>\n

Kawhi Leonard Has No Doubt That He Will Be a Raptor Next Season<\/p>\n

In his latest post on Instagram<\/a>, Leonard shared footage from his trip to China. Posted with the caption, “Thank you, Chengdu,” Leonard is seen meeting with his fans, working out, and making music. The most interesting part of the video is the first few seconds. <\/p>\n

Leonard is seen looking at an ESPN tweet that says that the league has found no evidence of Ballmer funneling money to Leonard, followed by the NBA’s response to ESPN’s reporting. <\/p>\n

Reading between the lines, this clearly suggests that Leonard isn’t too worried about the ongoing investigation. He could have easily ignored the reporting and chosen not to get involved until the process was finalized. Instead, he acknowledged it, proving that he isn’t fazed by the investigation. <\/p>\n

This comes on the heels of NBA insider Jake Fischer’s reporting<\/a> from two weeks ago, when he said that Leonard “strongly believes that the trade will ultimately go through, enabling him to rejoin the Raptors in time for training camp.” <\/p>\n

Throughout the process, Leonard has maintained his innocence and claimed that he had no knowledge of what the investigation is alleging. <\/p>\n

Even though there is no rule against the Clippers and the Raptors finalizing the trade right now, Toronto understandably wants to wait until the investigation concludes. They don’t want to assume any of the potential penalties, like the voiding of Leonard’s contract, which has put the trade on hold. <\/p>\n

Leonard may be confident about eventually ending up in Toronto, but that doesn’t mean that he or the Clippers will be completely off the hook. The league is still looking into how the Clippers introduced Leonard and the team sponsors. This could still lead to a potential suspension for Leonard or a penalty directed at Steve Ballmer or team personnel. <\/p>\n

If Leonard faces any consequences, like a suspension, this could impact the trade. Perhaps the Raptors and the Clippers could go back to the negotiating table. <\/p>\n

Regardless of where things go from here in the investigation, the odds are Leonard will be a Raptor next season. At least, he seems very confident that will be the case. <\/p>\n

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