The Clippers and Raptors have both agreed to complete the blockbuster trade that will send Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto.
According to ESPN sources, the Clippers and Raptors now will schedule a trade call, sources told Charania. The teams initially agreed to the deal on June 30, but it was paused amid the NBA’s investigation of the Clippers for salary cap circumvention.
The NBA announced earlier this month a list of severe punishments for the Clippers, including the loss of five future first-round picks, a fine of $30 million and a yearlong suspension for owner Steve Ballmer for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case Leonard.
The punishments came down after nearly a yearlong investigation into the franchise that “found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules.”
Los Angeles will receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders in the trade, which will now will be processed after the Clippers used the last 13 days to navigate the league’s discipline and work through internal logistics.
Leonard led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in franchise history in 2019 before leaving Toronto the following offseason to sign with the Clippers.
Investigation Into LA Clippers’ Salary Cap Dealings
Last Thursday, a federal investigation opened into the LA Clippers for allegedly circumventing the NBA’s salary cap to compensate Kawhi Leonard, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing people briefed on the matter.
The criminal investigation, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, is in its earliest stages, The Times reported.
Culled from ESPN
