Why Raptors, Clippers Haven't Completed Kawhi Leonard Trade

The Toronto Raptors are right at the finish line in their pursuit of Kawhi Leonard after the league's investigation regarding the Los Angeles Clippers' salary cap circumvention concluded.

Leonard was fined $700,000, but his contract for the upcoming season has not been voided, and he will not face a suspension. That sets things up for the 2019 Finals MVP to return to Toronto, but the trade is still not yet official, even over a week after the league's announcement.

This begs the question, what's the hold up?

Clippers Need to Reset Front Office

LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank watches in the first half against the Sacramento Kings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Clippers were dealt a significant blow when it came to the ramifications of their actions. President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank has been suspended without pay for six months, and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker has been suspended without pay for a year. On top of that, team owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and has been suspended for a year as well.

This means the Clippers need to figure out how they are going to reshuffle things in both their business and basketball departments. This is the main reason why the deal is being held up, at least from what has been reported by the league's top insiders.

However, there could be an underlying reason behind all of this as well.

Are Raptors, Clippers Trying to Alter Trade?

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram is greeted by center Jakob Poeltl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are pros and cons to the Raptors and Clippers agreeing to the original trade that was proposed back in June. Agreeing to the original trade would send a message that the Raptors are a solid team to do business with: they stick to what they plan. That could go well in future business opportunities with them down the line.

The circumstances might be a little different than they were almost three months ago. The Clippers have been stripped of five years' worth of draft picks, and it's possible they could be negotiating for another pick or more and could possibly expand the deal with Toronto or another team.

It would be in Los Angeles' best interest to recoup as much draft capital as possible, which could allow them to take on bad contracts while they approach a rebuilding phase. This could include Jakob Poeltl, whose three-year, $84 million extension kicks in next season when he turns 32 years old.

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