Kawhi Leonard Investigation Takes Another Twist as Multiple NBA Players' Futures Hang in Balance

The Los Angeles Clippers finally committed to retooling their roster by trading Kawhi Leonard. The former two-time Defensive Player of the Year was sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and draft assets.

The deal was initially announced on July 1st, but it has yet to be completed. However, the transaction remains on hold after the NBA announced that Leonard could not be traded due to a controversy in which he and the Clippers are allegedly involved.

Now, according to an article by John Hollinger on 'The Athletic,' the players involved in the deal may remain with their previous teams once the NBA's training camp begins.

That's because the trade can finally only be finalized once the NBA hands out the penalties, should the Clippers and Leonard be found guilty of breaking the rules.

If the investigation does not conclude before the start of the next season, it leaves the players and the organizations that traded them in a unique situation.

Ingram and Dick would remain with the Raptors after having just been traded by them, which would certainly be an awkward scenario.

As for the exact nature of the allegations, Leonard and the Clippers are accused of working together to circumvent the league's salary cap rules.

The organization has been accused of funneling more money into Leonard's account through a company called Aspiration. He signed an endorsement deal with this company for up to $48 million.

However, there was a clause in his contract stating that he could refuse to endorse anything that was "not consistent with his beliefs." Technically, this means he could just be a total no-show and still be paid the amount he signed for.

This particular aspect of the deal is what's being pointed to as suspicious, as accusations claim it was just a way for the Clippers to pay Leonard more than he's eligible for, and without it counting against their cap space.

A major reason that this is being investigated is that Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Clippers, is a major investor in Aspiration.

Kawhi Leonard is Coming Off His Best Scoring Season Yet

In previous years, some people began writing Kawhi Leonard off due to his injury concerns. Since getting injured in the 2017 playoffs, it looked like the All-Star forward had trouble staying on the court.

This was a problem for the Clippers, especially since it affected their ability to make a splash in the playoffs, as he dealt with injuries and was unavailable in crucial games.

However, this past season, he seemingly had a career resurgence. In fact, he posted the best scoring numbers of his career at 34 years old (he turned 35 in June, after the season).

Through 65 regular-season games, he averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game. This topped the 27.1 points he averaged in 2019-20, his first year with the Clippers.

He also averaged 1.9 steals per game, which is his best in a Clippers uniform and his third-best output so far in his career.

The seven-time All-Star has always been considered one of the league's players with the highest ceilings. However, he is also sometimes considered a "what-if" given the number of injuries he's sustained.

As great as he's been, many people think he would have reached even greater heights had he not battled health issues. Despite that, Leonard proved last season that he still has plenty left in the tank.

Something that would be of great value to the Toronto Raptors in their quest to become a contender in the Eastern Conference.