According to Cleaning The Glass...
Kawhi Leonard's on/off court rating was +14.4, 3rd *best* in the league (behind only Jokic & Wemby).
Brandon Ingram's was -9.0, 3rd *worst* in the league.
Just an unreal contrast in productivity.
How the Looming Penalties of the Aspiration Investigation Impact the Potential Trade of Kawhi to Toronto.
1. Draft Capital Preservation: The incomplete investigation by the NBA (specifically, its external legal counsel) drastically reduces the Clippers' leverage, motivating them to move quickly before the league hands down a ruling. If the Clips are found guilty of salary cap circumvention, the NBA is expected to strip them of future draft picks. Trading Leonard now allows LA to aggressively replenish their asset chest with Toronto's unencumbered draft picks before any penalties hit.
2. Avoiding Voided Contracts: The Clippers want to execute a trade before a formal ruling - if the league office uncovers concrete fraud before a trade is finalized, they could potentially void Leonard's current contract or suspend him, completely killing his trade value.
3. The NBA Could Block the Trade: The league office will block any trade if they believe Leonard's presence would be an immediate detriment to the acquiring team, i.e. if Kawhi is found guilty he could be hit with a massive, multi-month suspension. NBA will not allow the Clippers to "dump" a player onto Toronto if that players is about to face an immediate, long-term suspension.
4. Depressed Trade Value
Because of the assumed risk, the #Raptors are said to be refusing to include CMB or RJ in the deal, since they are assuming the legal baggage and potential upcoming suspension of Leonard, and reportedly amenable to sending back the matching salary of BI.
The Clippers and Raptors spent Monday nearing a framework that would send Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, sources say.
Will those negotiations be completed before free agency officially opens at 6 p.m. ET?
More here: https://t.co/IbHluEjkvy
If you've ever wondered why Toronto consistently deals with teams like San Antonio and Indiana, this media shitstorm is why.
Yes, Toronto, the team whose draft pick hasn't been leaked in nearly a decade is involved in a fairly public bidding war against themselves for Kawhi Leonard.
The fallout of such trade discussions is the entire roster, especially Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram going through a week of uncertainty and rumors, right as the Raptors are preparing to get everyone together for summer league down in Vegas.
It begs the question. Why and how did this become so public? Because it's not the Raptors leaking information to Stein and Fischer.
The answer is squarely...this is the Clippers. In their attempt to involve Dallas, Detroit, Portland, Golden State into this, they've effectively taken the private affair public like a pestilent child screaming for a toy at K Mart.
It's a platitude. The NBA is a business. And to get Kawhi what he wants, the Raptors are engaging in a dangerous game with a partner that very often throughout this negotiation has acted like an adversary.
What is the Clippers end game here? You don't want to pay Kawhi, the Raptors are offering an All Star and former lottery pick deadeye on your timeline with picks attached.
But yes, let's engage the Mavs to push up the price. Let's engage Detroit to see if Kawhi will budge. In many ways it feels like both Kawhi and Toronto are hostages in this negotiation, and Ingram by proxy is a casualty of business.
Everything says this deal is on schedule. Everything says this deal should come together before free agency begins tomorrow. But Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank may throw a monkey wrench in the 11th hour. Not only pissing off Kawhi in the process, but also setting the stage for very awkward relations with Brandon Ingram and the Raptors moving forward.
And again. Why? Because this is how Microsoft negotiates. This is how big tech works. The bait. The push. The squeeze.
Bobby Webster is engaged in a knife fight. I'm going to hope he brought more than a spoon to defend himself.
How the Looming Penalties of the Aspiration Investigation Impact the Potential Trade of Kawhi to Toronto.
1. Draft Capital Preservation: The incomplete investigation by the NBA (specifically, its external legal counsel) drastically reduces the Clippers' leverage, motivating them to move quickly before the league hands down a ruling. If the Clips are found guilty of salary cap circumvention, the NBA is expected to strip them of future draft picks. Trading Leonard now allows LA to aggressively replenish their asset chest with Toronto's unencumbered draft picks before any penalties hit.
2. Avoiding Voided Contracts: The Clippers want to execute a trade before a formal ruling - if the league office uncovers concrete fraud before a trade is finalized, they could potentially void Leonard's current contract or suspend him, completely killing his trade value.
3. The NBA Could Block the Trade: The league office will block any trade if they believe Leonard's presence would be an immediate detriment to the acquiring team, i.e. if Kawhi is found guilty he could be hit with a massive, multi-month suspension. NBA will not allow the Clippers to "dump" a player onto Toronto if that players is about to face an immediate, long-term suspension.
4. Depressed Trade Value
Because of the assumed risk, the #Raptors are said to be refusing to include CMB or RJ in the deal, since they are assuming the legal baggage and potential upcoming suspension of Leonard, and reportedly amenable to sending back the matching salary of BI.
Toronto Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili is declining his $2.8 million player option for 2026-27 to become a free agent, George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Mamukelashvili will have a strong developing market in free agency.
5 Questions on the Kawhi to Toronto rumours:
1. Is Toronto seriously considering trading for Leonard/ signing him to an extension, prior to the adjudication of the Aspiration matter?
2. Ka-why does Leonard suddenly want to come back to Toronto, of all places? ๐ฐ๐ซฐ๐ค๐ซฐ๐ฐ
3. Is Uncle Dennis still demanding #Raptors grant Leonard an ownership stake in the team, an exclusive private plane, and millions in no-show "we don't want to do anything" endorsement deals?
4. Is it worth trading Colin Murray-Boyles to land an injury-prone player who is now 35 years old and currently under investigation by the NBA?
5. Will this end the same way as the #BlueJays pursuit of Shohei and Soto? Is it actually Robert Herjavec's plane? How does this impact Nate Bittle?
Kawhi Leonard has let it be known the Raptors are the only team he will sign an extension with, per @ShamsCharania.
The Clippers and Toronto are putting the finishing touches on a trade that will send Kawhi back where he won a title.