When the NBA landed on a ruling after its investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for salary-cap circumvention, excitement was back in Raptor land. Many fans expected the deal agreed to in June, which would send Leonard back to Toronto and Brandon Ingram to LA, to finally become official. However, there may be another holdup with this deal, as NBA Insider Jake Fischer released new intel.
Fischer reported on X that the trade remains on hold as the Clippers sort through life after the league's ruling. Leonard's trade to Toronto has yet to be finalized as the Clippers are still working through their new front office structure after the suspensions the league handed out.
The league's decision to suspend Clippers general manager Lawrence Frank appears to be the biggest obstacle preventing this deal from crossing the finish line. Frank has been the Clippers' GM since before Leonard’s arrived in LA, and until the team appoints an interim replacement, the deal will remain on hold.
Raptors fans, are you running out of patience yet?
In my many years of watching the NBA, I’ve never seen anything like this. Every week there is a new update, and then it feels like the second this deal is about to make it to the finish line, there’s another reason as to why it can’t. Obviously, this one is understandable, as there is literally no one in LA with a title that says they can finalize this deal with Bobby Webster — but c'mon, can we get there soon?
All of Raptors Nation felt confident that the league's ruling was the final puzzle piece needed to finalize a deal between the Clippers and Raptors to send Leonard back to the Six. But that confidence is starting to dwindle.
This has to be the final hiccup, right?
June 30th is when ESPN's Shams Charania first reported this deal, and that was over two months ago. Summer is almost over, the CNE has passed, the Blue Jays have less than 20 games to go in their schedule, Raptors camp is less than 3 weeks away, the Leafs are almost back on the ice, and kids are back in school.
All this time has passed, and patience is running thin and anxiety is peaking.
Who’s to say now that the person named as interim GM while Frank serves his 6-month suspension won’t now try to negotiate the deal with LA being stripped of five first-round picks? I can’t say that for sure, and neither can the insiders.
If I do have one positive takeaway, it’s that as someone who can be described as impatient, this whole Leonard-trade situation has definitely improved my patience in all parts of my life. Unfortunately, even that patience is starting to run out.
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