NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said the league's investigation into Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard must be resolved before the 2026-27 season begins, leaving a proposed trade that would send the two-time NBA champion to the Toronto Raptors in continued limbo.
The league opened its inquiry last year into a roughly $28 million endorsement agreement between Leonard and Aspiration, a now-defunct banking company, amid accusations that the deal was used to funnel money to Leonard outside his player contract in violation of the salary cap. According to multiple reports, the investigation's scope has since widened to examine additional expenses the Clippers may have covered for Leonard, as well as a second, previously undisclosed endorsement arrangement. The Clippers have denied any wrongdoing, with the organization stating it did not funnel money to Leonard through Aspiration.
The unresolved probe has direct consequences for a trade the Raptors and Clippers agreed in principle, under which Toronto would send forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks, and pick swaps to Los Angeles in exchange for Leonard. The Raptors have said they cannot proceed with the deal while the investigation is ongoing, given uncertainty over whether Leonard could face suspension or have his contract voided depending on the league's findings, either of which would materially change the trade's value to Toronto.
Silver's comments add a firm timeline pressure point to a saga that has stretched across much of the NBA offseason, with league business around other moves also said to be affected by the uncertainty. The commissioner's office has not given a specific date for when the investigation will conclude, only that it must be settled before opening night.
For the Clippers, the outcome carries significant roster implications regardless of the eventual ruling, given Leonard's standing as a foundational veteran piece of the current roster. For the Raptors, the delay complicates offseason planning around a deal that was expected to reshape the franchise's core.
The NBA's preseason schedule is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, giving the league a practical deadline of its own to resolve the matter. Until then, one of the more significant trades of the offseason remains unofficial, and neither club has indicated a fallback plan should the investigation force the deal to collapse entirely.
