The Toronto Raptors genuinely believed they had a good chance of convincing Kawhi Leonard to re-sign with the team when he entered free agency in 2019. Their dreams were crushed when he opted to sign with the Clippers instead, but as the past week has proven, Kawhi's decision to go to LA kept Toronto away from a nightmare situation.
You'd think that an NBA team would know better than to circumvent cap space for any player, but allegedly, the Clippers didn't. Pablo Torre dropped a bombshell report last week detailing a $28 million "no-show job" endorsement deal Kawhi had with Aspiration, a since-bankrupt environmental firm with which LA had a partnership.
That isn't it. The Boston Sports Journal reported that Kawhi also had a second deal with Aspiration worth approximately $20 million, which would be paid in company stock.
Guess what? That isn't it, either.
On Tuesday, Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star dropped another bombshell report (subscription required), writing that "multiple sources with knowledge of Toronto's contract negotiations with Leonard in 2019 told the Star that Leonard's uncle and representative, Dennis Robertson, made demands that line up almost perfectly with what Leonard reportedly got from Aspiration."
Arthur reported that Kawhi's camp asked for a trade for Paul George, ownership in the Maple Leafs, ownership in outside companies, and a minimum of $10 million in additional sponsorship income. The Raptors said there was corporate sponsors that would like to work with Kawhi, but the catch was that he didn't want to actually do anything. He wanted a "no-show job."
Raptors saved themselves by "missing out" on re-signing Kawhi
The NBA hired a law firm to investigate the Clippers. If Los Angeles did play a role in helping Kawhi land the deals with Aspiration, a series of punishments will be imposed on the Clippers.
In 2000, the Timberwolves were punished for their "under-the-table" agreements with Joe Smith. The NBA fined Minnesota $3.5 million, took away five first-round draft picks, and owner Glen Taylor and GM Kevin McHale had to step away from the team.
If the league discovers that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap, their punishment could include all of the above to a higher extent, as well as voiding Kawhi's contract.
You'd think that Toronto's refusal to give Kawhi what he wanted (essentially the world) was a standard response, but the accusations against LA suggest otherwise. Imagine what it'd be like if the Raptors gave Kawhi everything he asked for. Yikes.
It didn't necessarily seem like it at the time, but Kawhi leaving Toronto for LA benefitted the Raptors in more ways than one.