Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard trade update suggests package could change originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There seems to be a real possibility that the Toronto Raptors-Los Angeles Clippers trade won’t go through because of the Kawhi Leonard situation.
It’s almost impossible to get a feel for what’s actually going on behind the scenes, as the NBA has been rather quiet about the contract situation Leonard is seemingly in, though many are starting to question what will actually happen.
As of now, we have no indication of how things will play out, but a reporter from The Athletic recently suggested that some changes could be made if the Raptors take on the risk by allowing this trade to go through.
“As of now, they are sending Brandon Ingram, Grady Dick and two first-round picks to the Clippers for Leonard. But if they know Leonard is limited to fewer than 82 games, they could reasonably insist upon removing, say, a first-rounder from the deal,” Fred Katz wrote.
“If they did, how might the Clippers respond to that? Could they demand another Raptors player in the trade to make up for the vanished first-rounder? If they do, does adding another player change the construction of the trade elsewhere?”
It would be somewhat surprising to see trades change like this, though, as Katz touched on, it does seem to be a real possibility.
Perhaps the Raptors want more from the Clippers, or the Clippers are willing to take one less first-round pick. Considering the Raptors would be the team taking on the risk here, I wouldn’t say that anything is off the table at the moment.
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