The Toronto Raptors completed their trade for Kawhi Leonard on Monday, after the deal had been placed on hold while the NBA investigated the seven-time All-Star and the Los Angeles Clippers over a possible salary-cap violation.
In exchange for Leonard, the Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap and two future second-round picks to the Clippers.
The trade had been suspended in July after the NBA told Toronto that the franchise would assume the risks of any consequences arising from the investigation into Leonard. Leonard led the Raptors to the only championship in franchise history, in 2019, before moving on to the Clippers.
What the NBA investigation found
The investigation, which lasted about a year, examined whether Leonard had received payments from a company that later went bankrupt and had close ties to Steve Ballmer, the Clippers' owner. Investigators suspected the payments may have been used to get around rules limiting how much teams can spend on player salaries.
Two weeks ago, the NBA announced that an independent investigation had found a pattern of misconduct and several significant rule violations by the Clippers organization.
Punishments handed down
As punishment, the franchise lost five first-round draft picks, was fined $30 million (154 million reais) and Ballmer was suspended for one year. Leonard was fined $700,000 (3.5 million reais).
At the time, the Clippers said they "vehemently rejected" the investigation's conclusions and would contest the punishments.
On Sunday, however, Ballmer said the franchise had told the NBA it would comply with the sanctions. The owner also confirmed payment of the fine and said the club would move forward.
Leonard took responsibility for the episode, describing some of the decisions made by people in his inner circle as errors of judgment.
Leonard's on-court form
In the 2025/26 season, the forward posted the best scoring average of his career, at 27.9 points per game, and finished seventh in voting for the league's Most Valuable Player award.
Bobby Webster, the Raptors' general manager, said in a statement that the organization was very happy to welcome Leonard back to Toronto. He said Leonard's impact on the organization, the city and the country was undeniable, and that he represented the competitiveness and championship mentality the franchise valued.
