The Clippers received their massive punishment from the NBA a week ago, but we’ve still gotten no update on the previously agreed-upon trade involving Kawhi Leonard. The Celtics are particularly invested in this deal because they hold swap rights to the Clippers’ first-round pick in 2028, and the Raptors, with Leonard, could be a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Early reports indicated that the holdup was simply due to the Clippers still trying to figure out their front office hierarchy after having owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank both suspended.
That kind of organizational dysfunction is great news for Boston, as they want the franchise to drag out any moves and be slow to rebuild, as that should only hurt their team and ensure that the 2028 draft pick will be a good one.
Stein says Kawhi trade delay may be out of spite from Clippers
But the new intel from Marc Stein might be even better, as he reported on Thursday that some league observers are wondering if the delay in the trade is happening out of spite from the Clippers towards Kawhi. After all, Leonard is the reason they’re in this mess; he was the target of the investigation, and he was the one with the ability to appeal.
Instead, he readily accepted the league’s punishment, further hanging the Clippers out to dry as he dodges town and flees to a great basketball situation and likely contract extension in Toronto. Well, apparently, the Clippers may not be so thrilled with that arrangement and may be intentionally dragging their feet to stick it to Leonard and - as Stein said - perhaps even considering something more drastic.
Could they call off the trade? Could they ship him somewhere else? Could they make him stay in LA as the franchise flounders? Given the situation, it feels like almost anything is possible, and if Ballmer is angry enough, it’s hard to underestimate what he might be capable of in terms of retaliation.
The longer this takes, the better for the Celtics
But as I keep saying, the longer this drags on, the better it is for the Celtics. Leonard is in Miami working out with the Raptors, but until the trade is official, he’s prohibited from being on the floor with his new teammates and is limited to individual workouts. The more time it takes him to get acclimated, the harder it’s going to be for the Raptors to mesh as a team and compete right away.
If the trade is called off altogether, it would be a disaster for a Toronto team suddenly left without talent and forced to awkwardly welcome back Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick while trying to find a new path to contention.
The Clippers, meanwhile, could be making themselves an even bigger mess. Until the trade is done, they can’t access any of the four draft picks gained in the deal from Toronto, so they can’t use those assets to try and upgrade the team in the short (or long) term. They also aren’t able to get Ingram and Dick on the floor with their new teammates to start building chemistry. And if the trade doesn’t go through, it’s hard to believe Leonard is going to suit up and play for the Clips again like nothing happened.
This is already a huge debacle, and with the Clippers seemingly having nothing left to lose, they may be ready to embrace the chaos and try to muck things up as much as they can. That’s bad news for some teams, but it’s great for the Celtics, who get to sit back and relax as they gleefully watch the world burn.
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