Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor again, and it took a public apology from one of the richest men in America to get it done.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer announced late Sunday night that he would comply with the NBA’s salary-cap-circumvention penalties rather than sue the league. Roughly 18 hours later, on Monday, the frozen Leonard trade was finally processed. Toronto confirmed it with a press release that evening.
The terms are unchanged from the deal the teams agreed to back in late June. Toronto gets Leonard. The Clippers get Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, Toronto’s unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, Toronto’s 2030 and 2033 second-rounders, and the right to swap firsts in 2027.
Leonard waived his entire 15 percent trade kicker to make it work, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.
What Ballmer actually said
This is the part nobody expected. Ballmer had called the league investigation a “witch hunt” five days earlier and threatened legal action. Then he folded, completely and publicly.
“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer wrote. “I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”
He added: “Team owners should support, not distract.”
The penalties he accepted are the harshest cap-circumvention sanctions in modern NBA history: five forfeited first-round picks, a $30 million fine, one-year suspensions for Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker, a six-month suspension for president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, and a five-year compliance and monitoring program. Leonard himself was ordered to pay the league $700,000, with no effect on his playing status.
The investigation, run by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found the Clippers helped Leonard secure a no-show endorsement deal with Aspiration plus similar arrangements with three other companies.
Why Ballmer caved
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated pointed out the strategic logic. When Minnesota faced comparable sanctions two decades ago, good behavior eventually got two of five forfeited firsts returned. Fighting the league in court would have guaranteed the opposite.
There is also a Department of Justice investigation still open into the Leonard dealings. Picking a second fight while that is live would be a choice.
What Toronto gets
A two-time Finals MVP coming off an All-NBA Second Team season: career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game on 50.5 percent shooting in 65 games.
He is on an expiring $50.3 million contract. Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the most Toronto can extend him for is $126 million over two years.
Raptors executive Bobby Webster kept it warm in the team release: “We’re thrilled to welcome Kawhi back to Toronto. His impact on our organization, our city, and our country is undeniable.”
Toronto paused this trade on July 9 over fears Leonard could be suspended or have his contract voided. Two months of uncertainty later, the franchise has its 2019 title hero back. The Clippers have Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a very expensive lesson.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.