Leonard-Raptors, Dillon Brooks believes the trade won’t happen
The uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard’s proposed trade between the Clippers and Raptors continues. According to Suns forward Dillon Brooks, the deal will ultimately fall apart
It was supposed to be the blockbuster move of the offseason – the return of the player who ruled the North in 2019 and delivered Toronto its first-ever NBA championship. Instead, the agreed-upon trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors to bring Kawhi Leonard back to Canada is now in serious danger of becoming one of the biggest deals to collapse in recent NBA history.
The proposed trade, which would send Leonard to Ontario in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a massive package of future draft picks, is currently on indefinite hold. And now, Raptors fans have even more reason to worry after Dillon Brooks weighed in.
The veteran forward – long known for being plugged into locker-room rumors – made his prediction during a livestream on N3on’s channel. When someone said, “The Raptors got Kawhi”, Brooks gave a blunt response:
It’s not happening. The trade is going to fall apart
Dillon Brooks
The mistery of the $28 million to Kawhi to bypass the salary cap
The reason behind the delay isn’t a disagreement over trade compensation or basketball fit. Instead, the NBA has reportedly launched an official investigation into the Clippers over alleged salary cap circumvention.
The controversy stems from the investigation into the collapse of Aspiration, a controversial “green” investment and tree-planting company. According to the reported findings, Kawhi Leonard signed a $28 million sponsorship agreement with the company that allegedly amounted to a no-show arrangement, indirectly tied to a $50-60 million investment made by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer into the business.
The league’s theory is straightforward: that the arrangement served as an off-the-books payment designed to compensate Leonard outside the constraints of the salary cap.
NBA investigation keeps the trade on hold
While the Clippers organization and owner Steve Ballmer continue to deny any wrongdoing, the league and Commissioner Adam Silver are quietly continuing their investigation. The potential penalties for violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in this area are severe: multi-million-dollar fines, the loss of first-round draft picks, suspensions for team executives and even the possibility of voiding the player’s contract.
That is precisely why the situation has become a nightmare for Toronto’s front office. Completing the trade now would mean taking on enormous risk. Would the Raptors really give up premium assets like Ingram only to see Kawhi’s contract potentially voided a few months later? It’s almost impossible to imagine. At the same time, calling off the deal and sending everyone back to their original teams would create an equally awkward and surreal situation inside both locker rooms.