It might be a while before Kawhi Leonard is officially labeled a member of the Toronto Raptors.
The chaos surrounding Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers isn’t only not fading, it feels like it is only picking up steam.
Leonard expects to be a Raptor, and the team is ready to welcome him, but there are multiple things in play that continue to leave the Raptors and, especially, Leonard and the Clippers in limbo.
On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the U.S. The Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating the under-the-table dealings involving Leonard and the Clippers.
Where Do the Raptors Stand On the Kawhi Leonard Trade?
We are approaching three months since the Raptors and Clippers agreed to a trade that would send Leonard to Toronto and Raptors stars Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick to L.A. It has been over a week since the NBA ruled on its investigation into the Clippers for salary cap circumvention, with the league revoking five first round picks from L.A., levying a $30 million fine on the franchise and a $700,000 fine on Leonard, and suspending owner Steve Ballmer, executive Gillian Zucker and general manager Lawrence Frank. But according to Raptors insider Michael Grange, Toronto isn’t overly worried about the proposed Leonard trade potentially falling through.
“With training camp less than three weeks away, Leonard is still officially a member of the Los Angeles Clippers,” Grange reported Friday. “But the concern level is … not that high, is what I’m hearing. Is Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer likely deeply vexed that his franchise has been docked five draft picks, fined $30 million, and he and his top two executives are facing lengthy suspensions in the fallout from the NBA’s salary cap circumvention investigation?”
Meanwhile, multiple reports this week stated that the hold-up on the Leonard trade, which was reportedly expected to finalize shortly after the NBA ruled on its investigation into the Clippers, is being caused by disarray in the L.A. front office in the wake of the penalties.
The DOJ’s Investigation Adds Another Layer of Complication
As if things weren’t already.
Here’s what The New York Times reported Thursday.
“Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers helped arrange secret sponsorship contracts for the star player Kawhi Leonard that circumvented the salary cap, according to people briefed on the matter,” the Times reported. “The investigation is in its earliest stages and is being conducted by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which has a long history of investigating the N.B.A. and professional sports, according to two of the people. The authorities began scrutinizing the matter before the N.B.A. leveled a series of severe punishments last week against the Clippers, its owner and two top executives after a law firm working for the N.B.A. and its commissioner, Adam Silver, concluded that the team had engaged in a wide-ranging effort to break its rules.”
The Clippers are facing unprecedented circumstances. Leonard, for now, appears to have gotten away with only a slap on the wrist, much to the Clippers’ chagrin. And the Raptors can only wait until things somewhat settle down and a path clears for the trade to be finalized.
Report: Raptors Reveal New Stance on Kawhi Trade Amid Federal Investigation