Kawhi Leonard is still expected to land with the Raptors before the season, but the trade could be amended as Toronto looks to protect itself from potential NBA punishment stemming from the Clippers investigation.
The long-awaited Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors is still expected to be completed before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, but the deal might reportedly be amended before it becomes official.
According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel on the Clutch Scoops podcast, the ongoing NBA investigation into Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers could still impact the final version of the trade.
“As far as the trade itself with Kawhi Leonard going to the Raptors, I still think it gets completed,” Siegel said.
Siegel added that he expects Leonard to be on Toronto’s roster when the new season begins.
“I think that it is going to be done before the start of the season and Kawhi will be on the Raptors roster to start the new season,” Siegel said.
However, the NBA insider does not expect the deal to necessarily remain unchanged.
“But I think this trade is going to get amended a little bit,” Siegel said.
Credit AP-Scanpix
Raptors could protect themselves before finalizing deal
The potential changes would likely be connected to the possible consequences of the NBA investigation.
According to Siegel, Toronto could look to protect itself by getting back one of its picks or adding protections to the draft compensation involved in the trade.
“I think that the Raptors are going to wind up taking back either one of their picks or kind of changing it, adding protections to it,” Siegel said.
The reason is simple: Leonard could still face some form of punishment depending on the outcome of the investigation.
“There’s going to be some sort of punishment from this, whether it’s heavy fines, whether it’s a small suspension, 10, 15, 20 games, something’s going to happen with Kawhi Leonard,” Siegel said. “And I think that the Raptors are going to protect themselves from that.”
Credit Getty Images via AFP-SCANPIX
NBA investigation still holding up the process
The trade has been delayed by the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers, Leonard, and Aspiration, with the league looking into whether salary cap circumvention took place.
Siegel noted that both teams would prefer to have clarity before training camp, but the situation remains complicated.
“I know both teams would love to have their guys in the building for training camp and to move on from this as quickly as possible,” Siegel said.
The LA Clippers have continued to maintain their innocence, while the NBA and the outside firm it hired are still working through the process.
The pending trade would send Leonard to the Raptors, while the Clippers would receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.
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