NBA not holding up Kawhi Leonard trade to Raptors

If Kawhi Leonard remains with the Clippers, don’t blame the NBA.

The Clippers and Raptors are free to submit their agreed-upon trade for league approval at any time, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Stein reports there is no holdup at the league level.

Both teams must participate in the formal trade call, of course. That appears to be where matters stand.

Toronto and Leonard are believed to be ready to complete the deal. The Clippers, meanwhile, have been sorting through their front-office structure following the suspensions of owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.

Los Angeles is also dealing with a federal investigation into the Leonard matter, along with the possibility of legal action against the NBA over the league’s salary-cap circumvention ruling. So it’s safe to say the Clippers have had a few things going on.

The trade itself was agreed upon in June. Under its original construction, Toronto would receive Leonard, while L.A. would land Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, two second-rounders and a 2027 first-round pick swap.

Despite speculation that the deal might be renegotiated, the expectation continues to be that it will eventually go through as constructed.

When that happens is now up to the teams. For once in this entire Kawhi-Clippers saga, the league office apparently isn’t the source of the drama.