Kawhi in Limbo: Silver Says Clippers Probe Must End Before the Season
A completed trade to Toronto sits frozen while the NBA finishes its investigation into the Clippers — and the commissioner is losing patience.
One of the biggest trades of the NBA offseason is agreed, announced — and going nowhere. Kawhi Leonard's move from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors remains on hold while the league completes its investigation into whether LA circumvented the salary cap, and commissioner Adam Silver has now put a deadline on it. Speaking at the Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas on July 15, Silver said the probe "needs to be wrapped up before the beginning of next season," admitting it is "going on longer than I would have hoped," per ESPN.
The deal on ice
The trade was agreed on June 30: Leonard to Toronto in a package involving Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, draft picks and pick swaps, according to ESPN. But on July 9, both teams announced the deal was paused pending the investigation's outcome. Per Yahoo Sports, the Raptors were reportedly unwilling to finalize anything while the risk of league penalties — which could theoretically touch the assets in the deal — remains unresolved.
What's being investigated
The league retained law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz back in September 2025 to examine allegations that the Clippers funneled money to Leonard through a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt green banking company. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has denied knowledge of the arrangement, and the team has denied wrongdoing.
Why it matters
Until the report lands, three franchises are stuck: Toronto can't integrate its new star, the Clippers can't move on, and the league office has an unresolved cap-circumvention question hanging over a marquee name. Silver says he's "hopeful" it wraps this summer, per ESPN. Training camps open in under three months. The clock is real now.