Fischer: Kawhi Leonard expects to be with Toronto

The trade the Raptors put on hold in early July while the league investigated Leonard’s contract with the Clippers is coming to fruition. Regarding the draft capital, the Clippers will still receive two future first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks. When healthy, Leonard is one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball, especially in category leagues. He has appeared in 65 games or more in two of the last three seasons. While fantasy managers will have to consider the occasional injury-management night, Leonard’s availability may not be as much of a concern as it was in past seasons.

The Clippers and Raptors agreed to a deal that would send Leonard to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft compensation in July. However, an investigation into Leonard’s contract with the Clippers put those plans on hold. The Justice Department has opened its own investigation into the deal, but the NBA concluded its probe and penalized the Clippers on September 2. With Clippers governor Steve Ballmer accepting the ruling after initially vowing to fight, the door may now open for the Leonard trade to be completed soon. Kawhi was with the Raptors players in Miami for their minicamp last week but worked out individually because the trade wasn’t official.

Although Leonard’s return to Toronto was initially agreed to in July, the NBA’s investigation into his contracts with the Clippers delayed the transaction. The investigation has since concluded, with Leonard receiving a $700,000 fine, the Clippers losing five first-round picks and being forced to pay a $30 million fine, and Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Gillian Rucker receiving suspensions ranging from six months to one year. However, the Clippers have not agreed to the trade because they reportedly need to finalize their new front-office structure while Frank is unavailable. As a result, Leonard could only work out individually while the Raptors went through their paces in Miami. As long as the deal is completed in time for training camp, fantasy managers have nothing to worry about regarding Leonard’s value. If not, that would put another dent in his value along with the availability concerns.

Leonard will reportedly also have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits by the Clippers for his uncle and former business representative Dennis Robertson, who has also been banned from all business dealings in the NBA. Both Ballmer and Rucker have been suspended for a year, while Frank’s suspension is for six months. The picks the Clippers will lose are from 2029-2033, though they have a few extra picks during that stretch from the Kawhi and Ivica Zubac trades. The Leonard trade should officially go through now that the investigation is complete.

The Clippers agreed with the Raptors on a trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation. However, due to the investigation into the contract that the Clippers signed Leonard to, that transaction is on hold. And with Wednesday’s report, it’s fair to wonder if the trade will ever get done, as a potential penalty would be to void Leonard’s contract, making him a free agent. Also, Toronto would assume the penalties if they were to acquire Leonard before a ruling was made, hence the decision to delay the trade.

The two teams agreed to send Leonard back to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation at the end of June, but that deal is now on hold pending the league’s investigation into the Clippers’ Aspiration scandal. ESPN’s Shams Charania said that the expectation is that the deal will still end up happening. While that remains to be seen, all parties involved will be better off as soon as the league finally wraps up this investigation.

After seven seasons (playing six) in Los Angeles, Leonard is headed back to the franchise with whom he won an NBA title in 2019. The Clippers’ hesitation to give him a max extension of $126 million over two years opened the door for “The Klaw” to move, with the Raptors reportedly being willing to fork up that kind of money. Not only does Toronto add an immensely gifted offensive player who can score on all three levels, but Leonard is also one of the best wing defenders in the NBA. The issue has been his availability, with Kawhi appearing in at least 65 regular-season games just twice since leaving Toronto in 2019. When on the floor, he is an elite option for fantasy managers, regardless of league format.

As recently as last week, the Clippers reportedly had no desire to move on from Leonard. However, according to Monday’s report, the franchise’s failure to make a long-term commitment to the seven-time All-NBA selection has opened up the possibility of Leonard being traded. He’s entering the final season of his contract with a base salary of $50.3 million, and Leonard’s representatives have reportedly told other teams that Toronto is the only team he would consider signing an extension with. Leonard moving east would represent both the Raptors’ desire to join the Eastern Conference’s elite and the Clippers’ pivot to a rebuild that’s likely to feature lottery pick Keaton Wagler.

Nothing is going to happen with Leonard until the NBA concludes its investigation into whether or not the Clippers circumvented the salary cap to compensate the 34-year-old forward. For now, the Clippers are determined to keep Leonard and his preference is to remain with the team. The Raptors have genuine interest and Leonard would be open to signing an extension with the Raptors or the Spurs in the event of a trade, according to Fischer. On the other hand, Leonard wouldn’t be open to an extension if dealt to the Pistons or the Heat. The results of the investigation and Leonard’s future will continue to be a storyline to watch this offseason. Stay tuned.

Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Thursday morning, Windhorst once again linked the Pistons’ recent cap-saving move of trading forward Isaiah Stewart to an eventual pursuit of big name targets, a list which includes Leonard. Windhorst noted that the Pistons have already missed out on Austin Reaves and Tyler Herro and could be looking at Leonard next. Just don’t expect a resolution soon with the NBA still investigating whether the Clippers circumvented the league’s salary cap to compensate Leonard. Once that investigation concludes, Windhorst said, Leonard will either get a contract extension or be traded and the Pistons have become a team to watch if he’s made available.