What's Next for Clippers Now That the Kawhi Leonard Trade Is On Hold?

The league investigation into the cap circumvention allegations regarding the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard took another wild turn on Thursday. Even though the Clippers agreed to send Leonard to Toronto in a trade ten days ago, the NBA has decided to intervene. By telling both teams that the Raptors would assume all potential penalties related to the investigation, the league has essentially put the trade on hold.

The Raptors and the Clippers now have to wait until the investigation is concluded to finalize the trade. The fact that there isn't a clear timeline for this complicates matters for both teams.

Having this type of uncertainty even after ten months since the investigation started is not fair to the Clippers. Even if the organization is found guilty and will face consequences, they needed to find that out before the offseason so that they could have made their plans accordingly. It's mind-boggling that the league didn't set a clear deadline at the start of the offseason for the conclusion of the investigation.

Where Do the Clippers Go From Here?

As things stand now, the Clippers either have Leonard on an expiring $50 million contract on their team, or have Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, one pick swap, and two second-round picks.

Fortunately, what the Clippers would do the rest of this offseason wouldn't change too much in either case. It's difficult to imagine LA using any of this newly acquired draft capital this summer, anyway. But the Clippers will still try to build a competitive roster and win as many games as possible since they don't have control of their first-round pick next season, regardless.

The one problem that could arise relates to roster spots. With Leonard still on the team, the Clippers have two roster spots. This would be enough to re-sign Bennedict Mathurin and add another center for depth. If Ingram and Dick are on the team, however, then the Clippers only have one roster spot, and using that on Mathurin might not make too much sense, especially with additional shooting guard depth with Dick.

Bigger problems may arise after the conclusion of the investigation. Steve Ballmer presumably wouldn't care too much about a financial fine or getting personally penalized. What would matter more is the possibility of stripping draft picks or voiding Leonard's contract. If commissioner Adam Silver decides to go that route, the trade would also be voided, and Leonard would become a free agent.

In addition to the loss of the assets the Clippers would be getting from Toronto, they would also lose some of the draft capital they already have in their coffers. There is a precedent for this when the NBA punished the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Joe Smith case over 25 years ago. This would put the Clippers in a very difficult position for the future.

Until this is resolved, the Clippers are unlikely to make any big moves. Even though it could make sense for them to trade their draft picks before the league can take them away, it's unlikely that the Clippers would take that type of risk.

Let's hope that we get a resolution soon so that the Clippers can wrap up this offseason and finalize their roster for next season. Otherwise, a deeply frustrating offseason awaits Clippers fans.

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