After spending over two months in limbo, the long-agreed Kawhi Leonard trade is finally moving toward a conclusion.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are moving forward on the deal sending Leonard to Toronto, according to multiple reports. A trade call still needs to be scheduled to formally finalize the deal.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that the final hurdle was cleared with the Clippers installing Trent Redden as their acting general manager, thus authorizing someone to made the deal on behalf of the organization.
After Steve Ballmer accepted the NBA’s ruling last night, it took until this afternoon for the Clippers to fully move forward with general manager Trent Redden leading the team’s communication with Toronto to get this blockbuster back on track. https://t.co/qJHmrXL3ER
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) September 14, 2026
The Leonard trade has been agreed on since June 30. However, the Raptors did not want to assume any risks of dealing with consequences stemming from the NBA’s ongoing investigation into the Clippers’ bogus sponsorship deals. As such, Leonard has been sitting in limbo for two months.
Ultimately, the process was allowed to continue after owner Steve Ballmer said Sunday he would accept the NBA’s punishment for circumventing salary cap rules. That allowed the Clippers to set up an acceptable front office that the league found acceptable, and as such, can complete trades.
Some thought that the Raptors might use the circumstances to adjust the terms of the deal, but that will not be happening. Leonard will finally be a Raptor again, albeit later than he probably expected.
