It’s been a few days since the NBA announced its punishments for the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard. Steve Ballmer and other Clippers executives have been suspended, the former has to pay a $30 million fine, and LA was stripped of five future first-round picks. Leonard, meanwhile, was fined $700,000 but escaped a suspension.
With Leonard able to play all season long—if he stays healthy—there’s nothing that should stop the Raptors from finalizing the trade they put on hold in early July. So far, nothing has happened yet.
However, reporting steadily maintains that the deal will get done eventually. Sam Amick just reported on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast that “everybody involved continues to say it’s going through.”
That’s really the only outcome that makes sense. The Raptors first jumped into this trade despite the risks because they’re desperate for a superstar to put next to Scottie Barnes and become a potential Eastern Conference contender. With several other Eastern Conference teams making big moves, they should be more desperate than ever to add Leonard officially.
The Clippers, meanwhile, should also be more desperate to get the deal done than ever. In late August, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that the Clippers would be “fine” if the trade fell through and Leonard was still on the team to start the season. Now, with five first-round picks gone, they should be a lot more eager to send Leonard to Toronto. They get two first-round picks from the Raptors to replace some of the assets they lost. Moreover, Brandon Ingram is also a player they should be able to flip for draft capital in a subsequent move.
Both teams have a lot riding on this trade
For the Raptors, trading for Leonard can make the difference between being able to compete with the best teams in the NBA and finding themselves in the play-in tournament. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Leonard is hurt too much to make a difference, and they find themselves taking a step backwards even after trading for him. Still, the upside is immense, and gambling on Leonard’s health beats doing nothing.
The Clippers, meanwhile, have some serious damage control to do. They didn’t just frustrate and disappoint fans. They also hurt the franchise in the long run. Rebuilding is often a long and arduous process. Losing all of your own first-round picks in the next five years only makes it more difficult. The Raptors’ picks may not be very good if the Leonard addition lives up to expectations, but having them is still better than nothing.
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