The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors will have to put their blockbuster trade involving Kawhi Leonard on hold.
Last week, Toronto agreed to send Brandon Ingram, two first-round picks, a pick swap, two second-rounders and more to Los Angeles in exchange for Leonard. That deal was set to mark his second stint in Toronto. He led the franchise to a title during the 2018-19 season, averaging 28.5 points per game against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately for the Raptors, they have not yet acquired Leonard. The trade won't be completed until NBA finishes its investigation into the Clippers. There were allegations that Los Angeles circumvented the salary cap in order to pay Leonard.
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.
The Clippers have denied any wrongdoing regarding their involvement with Aspiration, a green banking company that was allegedly linked to Leonard.
"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"
What did the Raptors have to say?
The Raptors have responded to the NBA's decision, but their statement wasn't nearly as defiant as the Clippers'.
"In light of this, we will wait until the league's investigation is complete," the team said. "The Raptors remain eager to bring back Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans."
We can't blame the Raptors for wanting to reunite with Leonard, especially since he's coming off a season where he averaged 27.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. That being said, they'll have to wait a bit longer before they officially acquire him.
