There’s something still holding Kawhi’s trade to the Raptors from going through

The holdup on Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors, agreed to as far back as the end of June, was the investigation into cap circumvention between him and the LA Clippers. Understandably, the Raptors wanted the league to finish what they had already started on Leonard before making the deal official.

Well, the NBA found Leonard and the Clippers guilty and dropped the hammer: five first-round picks and more, plus a $700K fine for Leonard. Still, the trade hasn’t gone through. Why? According to Jake Fischer of “The Stein Line,” the holdup is that the Clippers are “still working through their new front office structure” following the lengthy suspensions of Steven Ballmer and Lawrence Frank.

This makes complete sense, as the Clippers have to figure out their front office first before sending the deal through. In the meantime, the Raptors deserve a thank you for letting LA get settled first, even with training camp around the corner.

The LA Clippers still have to figure out their front office structure

Had Lawrence Frank been there, Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors, where the LA Clippers received Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and much-needed draft compensation, would have likely gone through soon after the NBA concluded. The investigation was ultimately the only hurdle standing in the way.

However, along with Steve Ballmer and Gillian Zucker, Frank received a suspension for his role in the cap circumvention between Leonard and the Clippers. Unlike Ballmer and Zucker, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations will serve only a six-month, unpaid suspension, meaning he will be back shortly after the February deadline (another problem in itself).

As a result, the Clippers need to appoint someone for the time being to handle things until Frank returns to his duties.

Who is that going to be? Jake Fischer went on a livestream for Bleacher Report and highlighted that the expectation is that Trent Redden, who was part of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization that won a championship in 2016, will take over.

This is great news, and somewhat of a sigh of relief for Clippers fans, as Redden has enough experience under his belt to fill in for Frank. For what it’s worth, he worked with Tyronn Lue on the Cavaliers as well.

That said, until everything is sorted out inside the Clippers’ front office, which shouldn’t take much longer, Leonard’s long-awaited move to Toronto is on hold.

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