Kawhi Leonard trade to Raptors remains on hold, expected to go through

The Kawhi Leonard trade to the Raptors still isn’t official, but both sides apparently expect it eventually will be.

Leonard and Toronto are operating under the belief that the agreed-upon trade sending him from the Clippers back to the Raptors will be completed, according to Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

The deal has been on hold while the NBA investigates allegations of salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers.

Toronto agreed in June to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-rounders to Los Angeles for Leonard.

The Raptors subsequently learned they would assume the risk of any penalties involving Leonard, including the theoretical possibility of his contract being voided, and the teams elected not to finalize the deal while the investigation remained unresolved.

Monday brought what would seem to be an encouraging development on that front.

ESPN reported the NBA has found no evidence that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to Leonard to circumvent the salary cap. Instead, the league is examining whether the Clippers violated rules by introducing Leonard to sponsors and whether there was a “failure to supervise.”

There also has been no indication that Leonard’s contract will be voided, ESPN reported.

So the trade remains stuck in neutral. But as things stand Monday, Leonard and the Raptors still expect him to wind up back where he won the 2019 championship.