Long-delayed Kawhi Leonard blockbuster trade finally escapes scandal limbo

After 2 ½ months of waiting, Kawhi Leonard is finally heading back to Toronto.

The Clippers and Raptors agreed to complete the trade sending Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round draft picks (2031 and 2033), one first-round draft pick swap (2027) and two second-round picks.

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ESPN first reported the two sides were moving forward with the deal.

LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers and Raptors still have to schedule a trade call with the league for the transaction to become official.

The trade falling into place came not even 24 hours after Clippers owner Steve Ballmer issued a statement Sunday evening saying he has “sincere regrets” and apologized to fans in the wake of the NBA punishing his franchise for circumventing the league’s salary cap by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for Leonard with four different companies.

The league dropped staggering punishments on the Clippers, fining the franchise $30 million, suspending Ballmer for one year and stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks on Sept 2.

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President of business operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank (six months) were also suspended for their roles in the scandal.

Ballmer didn’t explicitly apologize for the the Clippers’ cap circumvention, stating “there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report” but that the franchise was complying with the penalties after the franchise initially issued a statement saying it “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.”

With the main leaders of the Clippers’ front office not permitted to be involved with the franchise, general manager Trent Redden led the Clippers in getting the trade over the finish line.

Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard celebrates after the buzzer as the Raptors defeated the Golden…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/long-delayed-kawhi-leonard-blockbuster-190243051.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-14 19:02:00

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