New Details on Cade Cunningham’s Pursuit of Kawhi Leonard Surface Amid Raptors-Clippers Investigation

This summer, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham tried to recruit Kawhi Leonard, one of several stars the Detroit pursued. According to NBA insider Vincent Goodwill, Cunningham was actively involved in trying to bring Leonard, Austin Reaves, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving to Detroit.

"Cade Cunningham was very involved in the potential recruitment of Austin Reaves, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving," Goodwill said on NBA Today. “Those were all names the Pistons were interested in. No moves materialized.”

Had the Pistons pushed through with a deal for Leonard, they would have faced the same dilemma now confronting Toronto. The Raptors agreed to a trade with the Clippers in June but put it on hold in July after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver froze the transaction due to an ongoing investigation into Leonard’s alleged $28 million endorsement deal.

The league is examining whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer used his green banking company to funnel Leonard an endorsement outside the salary cap. If proven, penalties could include fines, suspensions, or even voided contracts. The probe has already lasted 10 months and could stretch into 2027, far longer than typical NBA investigations.

For Detroit, acquiring Leonard under these circumstances would have meant inheriting the same risks. Investigators could have flagged the Pistons as complicit in Ballmer’s scheme, even though the team had no role in offering the deal.

Sports Analyst Doesn't See Kawhi Leonard Going Back to Toronto

Leonard’s history in Toronto is complicated. He delivered the franchise’s first championship in 2019 but left after one season to play in Los Angeles. Many fans hoped for a reunion, but the current controversy makes that unlikely.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne explained. “This was the Toronto Raptors being given a choice of, ‘Are you willing to assume the risks of something happening with Kawhi Leonard after the investigation is completed?’ They are not willing to assume those risks,” Shelburne said on NBA Today.

“If there’s no resolution by the end of the summer, and nobody from the NBA can say with certainty there won’t be fallout, then it’s up to the Raptors,” she added.

“I can see a world in which Kawhi Leonard is back on the Clippers if this trade doesn’t go through, and the Clippers, quite frankly, are fine with that.”

Reports suggest the investigation could continue into 2027, keeping Leonard tied to the Clippers for now. But if the league finds him and Ballmer guilty, Leonard could face suspension or even have his contract voided, sending him straight into free agency.