The NBA is reportedly using the pending Kawhi Leonard trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors as leverage in negotiations with the Clippers, potentially seeking a broader settlement that could prevent owner Steve Ballmer from pursuing legal action against the league.
David Samson said the NBA and Clippers are likely negotiating both the resolution of the trade and a potential settlement related to the league’s punishment of Los Angeles following its salary-cap circumvention investigation.
“You’re gonna see a settlement,” Samson said. “That’s what’s being negotiated right now. The NBA and the Clippers are very likely negotiating not just a settlement of the trade, but a settlement of a pending lawsuit and the impact it had on the punishment that Adam Silver gave to the Clippers organization.”
The comments come after the NBA concluded that the Clippers violated league rules by initiating and facilitating off-court income opportunities involving Leonard and Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.
The league fined Los Angeles $30 million and ordered the franchise to forfeit its first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA Drafts. Ballmer was suspended for one year, while Gillian Zucker received a one-year suspension without pay and Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months.
Leonard received a $700,000 fine but was not suspended, and his contract remained valid. His discipline was reached with the NBA and the players’ union, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
That disparity has reportedly caused frustration within the Clippers. Fischer reported that there is “definitely some resentment” toward Leonard inside the organization because of the difference between his punishment and the penalties imposed on the franchise and its executives.
However, Fischer also reported that he had received no indication the Clippers were attempting to retaliate against Leonard or deliberately delay the trade.
The pending transaction remains particularly important to Los Angeles because voiding Leonard’s contract could have dramatically changed the team’s position. Instead of losing Leonard without a comparable return, the Clippers are positioned to acquire Brandon Ingram and additional draft compensation from Toronto.
Ingram could provide value both as a player and as a potential trade asset, giving the Clippers a significantly different path forward following the league’s penalties.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games for Los Angeles last season while shooting 50.5% from the field, 38.7% from three-point range and 89.2% from the free-throw line. He earned All-NBA Second Team honors and finished seventh in MVP voting.
The 35-year-old forward is expected to return to Toronto, where he led the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2019, once the trade is finalized.
