Why Celtics Rival Still Hasn't Completed Blockbuster Trade image
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It's almost mid-September, and Kawhi Leonard is still with the LA Clippers.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news on June 30 that the Clippers and Toronto Raptors had agreed to a trade centered around Leonard. However, more than two months later, the trade still hasn't officially gone through.
The Celtics should have more interest in the trade than most teams. Not only do they have a potentially valuable claim on LA's 2028 first-round pick, but Toronto could be one of Boston's biggest competitors in the Eastern Conference this season.
Let's take a closer look at the situation.
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Why haven't the Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard?
The Raptors released a statement on July 9 saying they were told they would "assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi." As such, they chose to wait until the NBA completed its investigation involving the Clippers to go through with the trade.
Nearly two months later, the NBA announced that Leonard and the Clippers had been penalized for violating the salary-cap circumvention rules. Leonard was fined $700,000, but the NBA didn't suspend him or void his contract, addressing Toronto's primary concern about the trade.
You'd think that would clear the way for the Raptors to finally close the deal, right? Not quite.
As part of the penalties handed down by the NBA, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker were suspended for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reported that the Clippers are working through a new front-office structure following those suspensions, which is one of the primary reasons Leonard is not in Toronto yet.
Another fun wrinkle: Stein added that some league observers have started to "wonder aloud" whether the Clippers are delaying the trade even more to spite Leonard for accepting the league's punishment rather than pursuing an appeal.
Even with all that in mind, ESPN's Brian Windhorst still expects the trade to go through as originally agreed. NBC Sports' Kurt Helin reported the same, citing the Clippers' front-office restructuring as the primary holdup.
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What does this mean for the Celtics?
A couple of things.
First and foremost, the Celtics have some interest in the Clippers' future because they could end up with LA's 2028 first-round pick. It's impossible to predict how valuable that asset will be, but trading Leonard would be an important step toward a rebuild, especially after the NBA stripped them of five future first-round picks.
Secondly, the Raptors are a more dangerous team with Leonard than without him. Maybe not to the point of being the Eastern Conference favorites, but certainly to the point where they could make a Finals run. The Raptors proved to be a tough out in last season's playoffs and would address one of their biggest weaknesses by adding Leonard's shot creation.
Without Leonard, the Raptors would face an uphill battle to finish in the top six in the East.
So not only would the trade make the Clippers worse, potentially making Boston's draft asset more valuable, but it would also create a more competitive Eastern Conference for the Celtics to navigate.
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