If you're waiting for the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors to complete the Kawhi Leonard trade this summer, don't hold your breath.
Earlier this offseason, the Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram, two first-round picks, a pick swap, two second-rounders and more to the Clippers in exchange for Leonard. However, that blockbuster deal was placed on hold due to allegations that Los Angeles paid Leonard through a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, a green banking company that went bankrupt.
The NBA has been investigating the Clippers to figure out if they circumvented the salary cap. According to ESPN, the NBA's investigation could linger into 2027 if the parties involved in this situation don't agree on the findings.
"Sources close to the National Basketball Players Association with knowledge of the investigation said the union wouldn't hesitate to take the matter to arbitration if the NBA sought penalties without sufficient evidence proving the claim that the Clippers have denied since the league's probe began nearly 10 months ago," ESPN's Baxter Holmes wrote.
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The Clippers have denied all wrongdoing.
When it was first announced that Toronto's deal for Leonard would be placed on hold, the Clippers issued an emphatic statement.
“For the past 10 months, our organization has fully cooperated with an NBA investigation, participating in dozens of interviews, providing tens of thousands of documents, and facilitating access to our staff. While the process has been challenging, we have remained committed to transparency,” the Clippers told ESPN. “On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.
“At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration. We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison. We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues. We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing”
We'll see if the Clippers continue to deny any wrongdoing as this troubling situation lingers into August.
