Raptors pause Kawhi Leonard trade pending NBA investigation into Clippers
The trade is on hold until the league completes its probe into alleged salary-cap violations involving the two-time Finals MVP.
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The Toronto Raptors are putting the brakes on their trade for Kawhi Leonard until the NBA finishes investigating whether the Clippers used off-the-books payments to circumvent the salary cap.
The Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), and two second-round picks (2030 and 2033) to Los Angeles on June 30. But the league stepped in this week and said the deal cannot be finalized until the investigation wraps up — unless Toronto assumes all the risk of potential outcomes.
The Raptors declined that offer. "We remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution," the team said in a statement.
The league is examining whether Aspiration, a now-bankrupt green banking company backed by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, provided Leonard with a $28-million "no-show" endorsement deal off the books after he joined the team in 2019. Such arrangements violate the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. Commissioner Adam Silver said in June the investigation could wrap up soon.
