A $30 million fine and five forfeited first-round draft picks: that is how the NBA's year-long investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers ended, and the ruling has finally handed Kawhi Leonard's sensational move a green light. Until now the trade had been frozen. Wary of the legal exposure, the Toronto Raptors put every negotiation on ice. Leonard himself escaped a suspension altogether, the 35-year-old forward walking away with nothing heavier than a $700,000 fine. "With those concerns out of the way, the trade can presumably go forward," American analyst John Hollinger noted, "as soon as the Clippers get around to figuring out who will okay it." Chaos, tellingly, still runs through the Californian front office. Owner Steve Ballmer has been barred from basketball operations for a year, while club president Lawrence Frank is serving a six-month ban of his own.
Yet the vacuum at the top changes nothing about the outcome. The trade is inevitable, because the Clippers need fresh assets and they need them now. Toronto, the league's only Canadian franchise, will part with Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and future draft picks to get it done. Leonard played 65 games last season and posted the best scoring average of his career. Ultimately, once the exchange is official, he will put pen to a two-year contract with his new team.
