Mar 21, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) runs back up court during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Clippers just got hit with the most severe penalties in NBA history. For their part in the cap-circumvention scandal, which involved paying Kawhi Leonard millions in undisclosed “no-show” endorsement deals, the Clippers were fined $30 million and forced to forfeit five first-round draft picks. Several top-level Clippers executives also received temporary suspensions, including owner Steve Ballmer himself.
Yet, through it all, veteran star Kawhi Leonard walked away virtually unscathed, paying nothing but a $700K fine while getting full clearance for his move to the Toronto Raptors. They were initially compelled to put the trade on hold to wait out the investigation, but Leonard moved back to Toronto (where he won the title in 2019) after the penalties were announced, fully expecting the deal to be finalized as-is. The problem now is that the trade hasn’t actually gone through yet, and this time it’s the Clippers who are holding things up.
“With a week having passed since the NBA came down hard on the Clippers with its ruling in the historic salary-cap circumvention case centered on the 35-year-old small forward, that remains to be seen, but the reasons for the continued delay, it’s safe to say, have become a bit of a mystery to people involved in the process and around the league. League sources in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the subject publicly.”
There’s nothing stopping the Clippers from making the Kawhi trade official right now. Not only would it sever ties with the star that cost them way too much, but it would also help them recoup some assets in the form of two second-round picks. On the surface, there’s no reason for the Clippers to stall on the deal, but they claim that the NBA’s suspensions (particularly for Ballmer and Basketball Ops President Lawrence Frank) are taking a toll on all team activities.
“Per league sources, the Raptors, Leonard’s camp and the camps of other prominent players in the trade remain very confident it will go through soon. Leonard, it should be noted, is known to be with his Raptors teammates (in an unofficial capacity) on a retreat of sorts in Miami this week, but according to multiple league sources, the Clippers have indicated the impact of the league’s discipline on their front-office structure is the reason for the delay.”
This hold-up by the Clippers is interesting because it suggests something bigger is happening behind the scenes. If they were desperate to finalize the Kawhi trade, they could have GM Trent Redden take over front office duties, but the Clippers seem hesitant to put anyone in charge right now.
Assuming the Clippers aren’t out for payback against Kawhi (by jeopardizing his trade to Toronto), their trepidation here could be about trying to renegotiate the deal. While the Raptors are unlikely to budge, the Clippers could try to demand more for Leonard given the circumstances, potentially earning back even more assets in exchange for the aging veteran star.
For now, it’s anyone’s guess what the Clippers are thinking, but nothing is off the table as they respond to the league’s overwhelming penalties. They never planned for this, and they plan to fight with everything they have, but the damage is already done. With limited options to actually change the ruling, the Clippers may consider all possibilities that help repair the damage that this saga has caused.