The blockbuster trade sending future Hall of Famer Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers back to the Toronto Raptors is on hold.
The trade can’t be completed until the NBA finishes the Aspiration investigation.
LAC allegedly circumvented the salary cap to compensate Leonard under the table.
The Clippers, in a statement to ESPN on Thursday, said the trade “can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation.”
The Raptors issued their own statement, saying they “remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans.”
Toronto acquired Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018 and Leonard guided the franchise to the 2019 championship against the Golden State Warriors in six games.
In the summer of 2019, Leonard left the Raptors for the Clippers, who acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Leonard and George were teammates in Los Angeles for five seasons before George left the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2024. The Clippers never made the NBA Finals during the Leonard era.
Leonard put up 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season. The forward played in 65 games, the most games he’s played in since the 2023-24 season. However, the Clippers missed the playoffs after losing to the Warriors in the 9-10 play-in game at home.
A top-75 player of all time, Leonard has played for the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers. He holds career averages of 20.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the regular season and 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in the playoffs.
Leonard is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Star. He is 35 years old.
In his first stint with the Raptors, Leonard averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the regular season and 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the playoffs. He was named Finals MVP of the 2019 NBA Finals.
“We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues,” the Clippers said in their statement. “We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.”
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