The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to trade star forward Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors back on June 30. But Leonard's reunion with the Raptors was effectively put on hold pending the NBA's investigation into the Clippers' impermissible endorsements for Leonard.
The Raptors basically wanted to make sure that they were trading for a player who was actually going to be able to play. And on Wednesday, the Raptors got their answer.
The NBA announced a series of sanctions against the Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer and team execs Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank. And while Leonard was punished after the investigation concluded, his discipline was significantly lighter than what Ballmer and company faced.
According to the NBA's statement, Leonard would
be required to pay a $700,000 fine for his part in circumventing the salary cap. He was not suspended.
Will the Raptors trade happen?
Given that Leonard's playing status wasn't impacted in the penalties, it sounds like the deal will go through. Leonard released a statement that mentioned his return to Toronto.
In this Instagram statement, Kawhi Leonard indicates that he expects to be officially traded to Toronto now that the league has assessed a broad series of sanctions against the Clippers in the wake of a yearlong investigation conducted by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: pic.twitter.com/Q5IZCtDbDb
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 2, 2026
The trade — which sent Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, 2030 and 2033 second-round picks and a 2027 first-round pick swap — should happen.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Will the Kawhi Leonard Clippers-Raptors trade go ahead with NBA investigation ending?
