The Los Angeles Clippers spent the summer preparing for life after Kawhi Leonard. They may not have to.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported this week on ESPN LA’s “Mason & Ireland” that Los Angeles would be comfortable taking Leonard back if Toronto decides it no longer wants to proceed with the blockbuster trade while the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers remains unresolved.
“If for some reason Toronto doesn’t want to proceed with it until they know the investigation, Clippers are fine with Kawhi being back on their team,” Shelburne said.
That is a meaningful wrinkle for a franchise that has spent two months in limbo.
The Clippers agreed on June 30 to send Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 and a 2027 first-round pick swap.
The deal was put on hold July 9 after the Raptors said the league informed them they would assume the risk of any outcome from the investigation that affected Leonard.
Now there appears to be more than one possible ending.
Clippers Could Face Renegotiated Kawhi Leonard Trade
Shelburne also said the trade could theoretically be amended if Toronto decides the uncertainty surrounding Leonard changes what it is willing to surrender.
That could create a different problem for the Clippers.
Toronto could seek to keep some of the draft compensation included in the original agreement while still completing the deal. Any such change would require both teams to return to the negotiating table.
For Los Angeles, that would mean weighing the value of completing its planned reset against the cost of accepting a diminished return.
The original package gave the Clippers two unprotected first-rounders, a swap and two seconds in addition to Ingram and Dick — significant future capital for a 35-year-old Leonard entering the final guaranteed season of his contract.
If Toronto asks for one of those assets back, the Clippers would have to decide how badly they want the separation.
Shelburne’s reporting suggests they do not view keeping Leonard as an untenable alternative.
NBA Investigation Still Open
The larger issue remains the NBA investigation that has frozen the transaction.
Shelburne said investigators have presented initial findings but are still making calls and assembling information. She also reported that conversations were already taking place between owner Steve Ballmer, his attorneys and the league.
According to Shelburne, those discussions have focused more on a potential failure to supervise and introductions made between the organization and Leonard’s representatives than on direct evidence that Ballmer personally orchestrated salary-cap circumvention.
That distinction could prove significant.
Any punishment also would not necessarily take effect immediately. Shelburne noted that the Clippers and Ballmer would have avenues to challenge league discipline through arbitration, potentially extending the process well beyond an initial ruling.
For now, Los Angeles remains stuck between two roster plans.
Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games last season. He is still capable of being the Clippers’ best player.
The franchise nevertheless agreed to turn him into Ingram, Dick and a sizable package of future draft capital.
If Toronto walks away, Shelburne’s reporting indicates the Clippers can live with reversing course.
The more complicated question may come if the Raptors still want Leonard — just no longer at the price Los Angeles thought it had already secured.
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