Kawhi Leonard is officially returning to the Toronto Raptors, a move finalized only after the NBA disciplined the Los Angeles Clippers for violating the league’s salary cap rules.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Leonard will go to Toronto in a deal that sends the Raptors 2031 and 2033 unprotected first-round picks from the Clippers, along with a 2027 first-round pick swap between the two teams. In return, the Clippers will receive forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, and second-round picks in the 2030 and 2033 drafts.
The Clippers will still receive those two first-round picks from Toronto even though the NBA stripped the team of five first-round picks of its own — in 2031, 2033, 2029, 2030 and 2032 — as part of its punishment.
The trade had originally been agreed upon in June and was expected to become official on July 6, but the league’s ongoing investigation into the Clippers delayed the deal. Both teams agreed to hold off finalizing it until the investigation concluded.
What the NBA Found
The league’s investigation determined the Clippers violated salary cap rules by allowing Leonard to receive impermissible benefits from the franchise, including a $28 million payment tied to what the league described as a “no-show job.” Investigators concluded this was structured to help the team get around the salary cap when Leonard signed his $103 million free agent deal with the Clippers in July 2019.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for one year. A league statement said the suspension was for “knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.”
Ballmer was also fined $30 million. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension without pay, and Gillian Zucker, the team’s president of business operations, was suspended without pay for one year. Ballmer said he would accept the league’s discipline without pursuing any legal challenge.
Leonard did not escape penalty either. The NBA fined him $700,000, and his business advisor, Dennis Robertson, was banned from future business dealings with the league.
Leonard’s Response
Leonard, through his agent Harrison Gaines, released a statement after the league announced its findings.
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family. I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap. For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
Leonard helped the Raptors win the 2019 NBA championship before leaving for the Clippers as a free agent. Last season, he made his seventh All-Star appearance, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game across 65 contests for Los Angeles.
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