The Kawhi Leonard trade may be on hold, but there still appears to be little doubt around the NBA that it’ll eventually get done.
According to Sam Amick, Eric Koreen and Law Murray of The Athletic, the blockbuster deal sending Leonard from the Clippers back to the Raptors isn’t expected to change unless the NBA hands down direct discipline against the two-time Finals MVP. At the moment, that isn’t viewed as the likely outcome.
Instead, both teams are simply waiting for the league to complete its long-running investigation into Leonard’s alleged ties to Aspiration, a now-defunct financial company.
The Athletic reported the NBA alerted Toronto when the trade was first agreed to on June 30 that the investigation could complicate matters. When the Raptors and Clippers later scheduled a call to finalize the deal, the league reiterated that message, prompting Toronto to hit the pause button until the investigation is complete.
Many around the NBA expected commissioner Adam Silver might provide an update during this week’s Board of Governors meetings. That didn’t happen.
Instead, an NBA spokesman indicated the investigation is expected to wrap up “in the coming weeks.”
The probe dates back to last September after investigative journalist Pablo Torre alleged the Clippers and Leonard used a no-show endorsement agreement with Aspiration to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap. The lengthy process has reportedly left plenty of league observers wondering why it has taken so long to reach a conclusion.
Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported the delay could actually give Toronto a chance to improve the deal. The Raptors are reportedly exploring whether a third team could be added to help create additional salary-cap flexibility, though Grange noted that wouldn’t change the framework of the Leonard trade itself.
At any rate, the expectation remains the same. The deal is still expected to happen.
Everyone is just waiting on the NBA.
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