The investigation surrounding Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as the possibility of the superstar being traded to the Toronto Raptors, is expected to gain clarity through several upcoming NBA events.
ESPN's Baxter Holmes revealed that the NBA Board of Governors meeting in September, along with the 2026-27 media day and training camp ahead of the new season, could answer many questions regarding the pending trade amid the league's ongoing probe around Leonard.
“I think there’s two important dates to keep in mind. In mid-September, there’s going to be an NBA Board of Governors meeting, and I think that will serve as kind of an infliction point as to we might have some clarity by then," Holmes said on SportsCenter.
“If not by then, potentially by the end of the month, at the very least, when media day and training camps are set to begin for the coming season.”
Kawhi Leonard Raptors trade still pending amid recent developments around LA Clippers, salary cap investigation
ESPN claimed Monday that the NBA and investigators' 11-month investigation had found no evidence that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer directly funneled under-the-table money to Kawhi Leonard.
The report noted that the investigation remains ongoing, with the NBA examining whether the team violated league rules by introducing Leonard to corporate partners. The Clippers could potentially face the lesser charge of “failure to supervise” their employees.
As such, the NBA retaliated with a press release, completely shooting down the network's reporting.
"ESPN's article regarding the LA Clippers investigation — for which the NBA declined to cooperate — contains numerous and significant inaccuracies. The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
Leonard's offseason blockbuster trade to the Toronto Raptors remains pending amid an unfinished probe into whether the Clippers paid him secretly by manipulating the league's salary cap.
Joining the now-defunct green company Aspiration, Daktronics recently emerged as an alleged new channel for the Clippers to illegally pay Leonard.