Repercussions of Kawhi Leonard trade mess reach well beyond Raptors and Clippers

Raptors fans’ excitement about Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto was quickly met with bad news when it was announced that the trade would be on hold until the investigation into the Clippers and Leonard about alleged salary-cap circumventions is complete. So, the Clippers and Raptors are now unsure who will be on their rosters next season, and Leonard, Brandon Ingram, and Gradey Dick don’t know if they’ll live in Toronto or LA. 

The repercussions of the trade being on hold don’t stop there, though. It is also impacting teams and players that aren’t even involved in the trade. The Leonard trade mess, paired with LeBron James’s looming free agency decision, is holding up a bunch of offseason business, as The Athletic’s Fred Katz outlined in a July 16 article. 

“So, the Raptors wait for Leonard. The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors wait for James. And plenty of other individuals are tied to their situations, too,” Katz wrote.

Two of the players affected by the Raptors’ situation are DeMar DeRozan and Payton Watson. DeRozan became an unrestricted free agent when the Kings waived him, and Watson is a restricted free agent. 

The Kawhi Leonard trade is holding up decisions for DeRozan and Watson

“Now, DeRozan’s prospective new teams include ones affected by both James and Leonard,” Katz wrote. 

The Heat are interested in James, but could view DeRozan as a Plan B. Likewise, the Raptors could reunite with DeRozan if the Leonard trade falls through to bring in another veteran scorer. Kutz also mentioned the Clippers as a potential landing spot for DeRozan, but not if the trade falls through and Leonard remains in LA. 

Watson, meanwhile, is trying to cash in on a big new contract that the Nuggets can’t really afford after a career season. One option for him to get that new deal is if he lands with the Clippers via a sign-and-trade, which is much more realistic if the Leonard trade goes through. 

“The Clippers have expressed interest in signing Watson but would require draft picks to get the Nuggets to bite,” Katz wrote. “And if the Leonard trade fails to go through, wiping LA of two more first-round selections, then they may not be as willing to eat into their future picks.”

It may take a while, but the trade is still expected to go through

The Ringer’s Kirk Goldsberry recently voiced some concerns about how realistic Adam Silver’s goals of wrapping up the whole situation this summer are, but the general expectation seems to be that the trade will go through eventually. 

Zach Lowe, for example, said on his podcast, “I’m still hearing optimism from people involved that this trade will go through.”

It’s incredibly frustrating for Raptors fans—and for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, above anyone else—that the trade is on hold, but it’s better for the Raptors to take their time than to run headfirst into a situation with unknown consequences.

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