One of the biggest trades of the NBA offseason was Kawhi Leonard returning to the Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two future seconds.
It was a deal that reshuffled the NBA’s balance of power, but now it’s a trade that may never happen. The reason is tied to the NBA’s ongoing cap circumvention investigation, which could result in fines, suspensions, the loss of picks, or even the voiding of Leonard’s current contract. Trading for Leonard would mean the Raptors assume all the risks involved, and it’s something they are clearly unwilling to do right now.
“This was the Toronto Raptors being given the choice of: are you willing to assume the risk of something happening to Leonard after the investigation is completed? They are not willing to assume those risks,” reported ESPN’s Ramone Shelburne. “So, if they’re not, and then we get to the end of the summer, and there’s not a resolution, and there’s nobody from the NBA that can say with 100% certainty that there won’t be any fallout for Kawhi Leonard specifically, then it’s up to the Raptors.”
The Raptors might be more open to taking the gamble if they didn’t just watch what happened in Miami last season. They lost Terry Rozier for his role in a federal betting scandal, and they don’t want something similar happening to them. That’s why, until Leonard is fully cleared, they won’t complete the trade for the two-time champion.
“I understand it because we just saw what happened with the Miami Heat and Terry Rozier,” Shelburne added. “The NBA had an investigation; they didn’t find anything, then a year later the Heat get stuck with a player who’s out of the league.”
On paper, there’s no question that Leonard is worth the trouble. Despite turning 35 in June, he just had the best season of his career with averages of 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 50.5% shooting from the field. Having led the Raptors to a championship in 2019, he already has pre-established history with the franchise that makes his arrival an easy transition for everyone. Really, this investigation is the only thing holding it up.
It began last summer, when NBA insider Pablo Torre discovered a potential link between Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and a fraudulent tree-planting company, Aspiration. The company was eventually exposed as a massive fraud, but not before they signed Leonard to an exclusive no-show endorsement contract. In essence, the claims suggest that the Clippers used Aspiration as a front to pay Kawhi, and it’s launched an extensive investigation that’s now nearly a year in the process.
By trading for Kawhi, the Raptors would be knowingly taking on the associated risks, including but not limited to a suspension or the voiding of his contract entirely. Under those conditions, they cannot accept Leonard, but there is hope that a resolution is near that would end this saga once and for all.
While the Clippers continue to maintain their innocence, evidence is mounting and anxiety is building with each passing day. They will fight any guilty verdict, but even if they are eventually cleared of wrongdoing, it could take many more months to settle the dispute, with potential litigation hinging on the NBA’s ruling. In the end, no matter which way you slice it, it’s an awkward situation all around. What was supposed to be a feel-good story is quickly turning into something else, and things could get really ugly if the investigation stretches into 2027 or beyond.
