Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers were recently found guilty of salary cap circumvention. In September 2025, sports journalist Pablo Torre exposed Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for offering Leonard an illegal endorsement deal that would pay him money outside the team’s salary cap. After being busted, the Clippers were initially fined $30 million, and Kawhi was asked to pay $700,000 in restitution.
On top of Leonard’s $700,000 fine, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t add any more punishments. Kawhi’s contract wasn’t voided, and he didn’t end up getting suspended. Clippers insider Adam Auslund recently explained why Leonard had a “lighter punishment”.
“Adam Silver was afraid of going up against the Players Association (NBPA), and so he gave a lighter punishment to Kawhi Leonard,” Auslund said on FOX Sports Radio. “Talk about a net gain. If (Silver) had suspended him, voided his contract, or fined him $30M, the (NBPA) would’ve been up in arms. The big thing about that is that they are the ones who can implement an arbitration lawsuit.”
While Silver does hold more authority over the NBPA, the Players Association has some leverage when they feel like striking back. Under their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the NBPA can initiate an appeal to challenge certain decisions Silver makes.
That leverage isn’t new. The NBPA, founded by Bob Cousy in 1954, is now 72 years old and the longest-running players’ union of the four major North American professional sports leagues, a longevity that has been built precisely on its willingness to challenge the league when it believes a player has been treated unfairly.
Having all that in mind, it seems that Silver would rather avoid the hassle the situation brings and simply focus on the 2026-27 season running smoothly.
Raptors Urged to Renegotiate Kawhi Leonard Deal With Clippers
With the investigation now wrapped up, Kawhi Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors looks like it’s finally moving forward. The deal had been put on hold while everything played out, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made it clear that once the dust settled, the transaction would get back on track, and that time appears to have come.
The original deal had Leonard heading to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and a package of draft picks. But things have shifted. After the Clippers were hit with a $30 million fine and stripped of several draft picks over the next five years, LA is now hungry to recover those assets, and they’re hoping the Toronto trade can help them do that.
That desperation hands the Raptors a real card to play. League insiders and analysts are already advising Toronto to go back to the table and renegotiate. The thinking is simple – instead of sending four picks to LA, the Raptors should push to cut that number down significantly, or maybe even take picks off the table altogether.
Even if the Clippers decided to decline the Raptors’ counteroffer, it’s an offer they can’t refuse. According to several sources, Leonard himself already wants out of LA, meaning the Clippers have zero leverage to keep him.
While Toronto fans are looking forward to Kawhi’s return up North, it’ll be interesting to see how the Raptors organization handles the current trade situation.