Clippers Are Reportedly Not Ready to Close the Kawhi Leonard Chapter

With less than two months before the start of the NBA season, the Kawhi Leonard saga has yet to be finalized. The cap circumvention investigation is about to reach its one-year anniversary. Even though Adam Silver has expressed his desire for the investigation to be over before the start of the season, there is no clear timetable.

This is holding up the trade between the LA Clippers and the Toronto Raptors. The sides agreed to a trade that sends Leonard to Toronto and Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks to the Clippers. After it became clear that the Raptors may be on the hook for the potential penalties from the investigation, they decided to wait to finalize the deal.

Their desire to minimize the risk is understandable. The Raptors wouldn't want a scenario in which Leonard faces any punishment, such as voiding the contract or a suspension.

As things stand now, the consensus is that both the Clippers and the Raptors want this trade to go through.

The latest reporting suggests that the NBA has found no evidence of direct funneling of funds from Steve Ballmer to Leonard. Instead, the league is focusing on the Clippers' introduction of Leonard to team sponsors to facilitate endorsement deals. This is believed to be a less egregious violation of the rules, meaning that Leonard will likely avoid a severe punishment.

At the same time, there is a real risk of the investigation not concluding and the punishment not being announced until after training camp. The longer this process takes, the chances of the Raptors backing out of the deal increase. There is also still the slight chance that Leonard faces some sort of punishment, which could also change Toronto's mind.

Clippers Wouldn't Mind Taking Kawhi Leonard Back, per Latest Reporting

In this scenario, the Clippers are reportedly open to taking Leonard back. In her appearance on ESPN LA, NBA insider Ramona Shelburne said that the Clippers are "fine with Kawhi Leonard being back on their team."

She added that the Clippers and the NBA are engaged in settlement negotiations. This suggests that the sides may agree on a proper punishment soon. If that is the case, the trade would presumably still go through.

If, for any reason, the Raptors don't want to do the deal anymore, then we may see Kawhi back in LA for the foreseeable future.

The Clippers have made it clear that they want to stay as competitive as possible. They have no intention of bottoming out or rebuilding, with or without Leonard. Since they don't control their own first-round pick in next year's draft anyway, trying to win as many games as they can is a logical goal.

Leonard would certainly fit into those plans. He wouldn't make the Clippers a contender, to be sure, but he would make them a more exciting and competitive team. It's still highly unlikely that he will be back in LA, but it sounds like the Clippers would welcome him back with open arms.

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