Kawhi Leonard to Raptors Trade on Hold Until NBA Completes $28 Million Investigation Stuns Fans – “Just Got Super Interesting”

Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers have been under investigation for their alleged attempt to circumvent the salary cap.

Kawhi Leonard to Raptors Trade on Hold Until NBA Completes $28 Million Investigation Stuns Fans – “Just Got Super Interesting”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Kawhi Leonard (Image via FirstSportz)

One of the most head-scratching trades of this offseason was when it was announced that the Toronto Raptors had dealt with the Los Angeles Clippers for Kawhi Leonard.

As someone who has been part of an NBA investigation, many wondered how the superstar could just move teams before the league completed its findings.

This entire controversy started when investigative journalist Pablo Torre revealed documents that gave indications that the Clippers used Aspiration to provide the superstar free agent with enough compensatory money through endorsement deals.

There were already rumblings that Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, had placed a lot of demands on the Toronto Raptors, as well as other organizations that were looking to sign his nephew.

Even though the Raptors had everything going for them at that time, they refused to concede to the demands, knowing that it would be looked at as salary cap circumvention.

But the Clippers allegedly did not bother and went ahead with this deal to sign the two-time Finals MVP. Eventually, Torre’s findings revealed that Leonard received 28 million dollars from Aspiration in the name of sponsorship money

The Los Angeles Clippers-Toronto Raptors trade centered on Kawhi Leonard will not be complete until the NBA investigation into the Clippers is over.

Shams Charania revealed on X

Even though the Clippers have denied everything and owner Steve Ballmer has claimed that co-founder Joe Sanberg had essentially scammed him, the league decided to conduct an investigation.

This means that until the findings are completed, Leonard’s trade to the Raptors will now have to wait. They may have completed their negotiation with the Clippers, but until the league gives the go-ahead, they cannot register it.

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Fans flame Kawhi Leonard and Clippers for trying to avoid the controversy

When news of the trade first broke, cover fans were already wondering how Kawhi Leonard managed to move from the Los Angeles Clippers, especially since both he and the franchise were under investigation.

Now that the league has stopped this trade from being completed, it is clear that they do not want this to boil over into another controversy.

Fans felt that, on one hand, the league was being hypocritical of itself because it should have stopped this trade from happening in the first place. After all this, it suggests that the league is just acting on what they’ve perceived will be a problem in the future. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Had the league stopped the trade from happening when it was initially conceived, Kawhi Leonard might not have spent money traveling to Toronto to be a part of Kyle Lowry‘s retirement press conference. Fans believe it is karma biting back at both the Clippers and the 35-year-old for their actions.

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Raptors willing to complete Kawhi Leonard deal irrespective of findings

When the NBA first started its investigation into these Los Angeles Clippers-Aspiration-Kawhi Leonard allegations, some felt it was justice served for the franchise.

Kawhi Leonard will have to wait to be a Raptor again
Kawhi Leonard will have to wait to be a Raptor again (Image via NBA Central/X)

However, there were others who felt that the league might not reprimand the Clippers or the seven-time All-Star in the manner in which fans are hoping it would.

That is because the league needs the billions Steve Ballmer brings to the table, which means that his team could get away with some minor penalties.

On the other hand, Leonard could face the short end of the stick, considering his uncle’s demands are already well-established folklore. Whatever it is, the Raptors are going to accept the findings, even if it undermines them in some manner.

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