Category: NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of a handful of teams trying to convince LeBron James to sign with them in free agency via voice note messages that may or may not actually get to LeBron himself. As of now, they appear to be the favorites to secure his services. That noise is only going to grow louder as Bill Simmons outright said LeBron returning to the Cavs was “done.”

Simmons mentioned on the most recent episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast that the Golden State Warriors were just used as leverage. This led him to say that LeBron is going back to Cleveland, and that the “Cleveland thing is done.”

“And now it’s pretty clear they (Golden State) were being used as leverage as LeBron goes back to Cleveland… the Cleveland thing is done,” – Bill Simmons on LeBron’s free agency sweepstakes 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/Z9OBX8ADUB

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 10, 2026

How much you want to read into this is entirely up to you.

Simmons says this in a somewhat flipant way, an hour into a two-hour podcast. If he were going to break news this big, it’d make a lot more sense to lead off his show with this or put it up on the website he owns. That could easily lead you to believe this is just speculation based on all the other reporting and noise around a return to Cleveland.

On the other hand, Simmons is extremely plugged in. He’s been in NBA circles for decades and knows what he’s talking about. Additionally, he also has a direct connection with Rich Paul.

The Ringer — Simmons’s website — hosts Paul’s podcast Game Over. If there is someone who you’d think would be in the loop on this, it’d be Simmons.

Again, how much stock you put into this is up to you. What we can definitively say right now is that it seems like LeBron is coming back to Cleveland for a farewell tour. We’ll find out whether that materializes soon enough.

The Los Angeles Lakers have settled in for the upcoming NBA Summer League series in Las Vegas.

The Lakers have set up a new custom-designed practice court in a ballroom and were seen by reporters practicing on it Thursday, July 9.

The Lakers’ practice setup at a resort ballroom in Vegas. The team is testing out a new court design for the summer session. pic.twitter.com/DUcrjiYDZo

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 9, 2026

The Lakers had played on a custom court during the NBA Cup, but it was met with some negative feedback from players. Lakers star Luka Doncic in particular had an issue with the court, slipping on it during the team's 135-118 victory over the L.A. Clippers on Nov. 25, 2025.

"It's just slippery. It's dangerous," Doncic said. "I slipped. I slipped a lot, and you could see many players slip. And that's dangerous."

The NBA provided an alternate court for each team in the league as a promotional tool for this past season's tournament games.

The Lakers’ alternate court was not used in the 129-119 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 29. That court was returned to the creator for repairs.

It remains to be seen if the practice court is similar to, or an upgrade of, the one used during the NBA Cup.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Check out Lakers' awesome practice court setup in Las Vegas ballroom

Brooklyn made history in the 2025 NBA Draft by securing five first-round picks, the most ever selected by a single team in one round. After one full season and a look at the California Classic, we asked the simple question: Who out of the “Flatbush Five” has the most to prove?

The results are in, and the responses paint a clear picture of how fans view the current trajectories of these five prospects. While Egor Dëmin has solidified himself as the undisputed star and leader of the group, expectations vary wildly for the rest of the pack. The good news? The “top” pick from this survey is only 20. Patience…

Here is the full results:

When we first asked, roughly 18 Nets fans commented their thoughts. Here’s a quick look:

The Burden of the Lottery Pick: Egor Demin

• Comment: “Egor clearly has the most to prove. He was a top 8 pick. The other four were just flyers… “
• Comment: “Egor because he’s the lottery pick.”

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Powell Panic Meter

• Comment: “Powell showed difficulty in the Cali Summer league. Should have showed an improved play since he played last year with the regular team. He was committing TOs left and right. For me, he wasn’t ready for the summer league, not sure why? injury?”
• Comment: “I guess I see a difference between ‘who has the most the prove’ and ‘who do I think unlikely to be able to prove’. Obviously Egor needs to take a major step forward to justify his draft status, but the guy who may be gone if he can’t get it together is Drake Powell. Unless he turns it around in Las Vegas, he may be playing most of the year in LI, or could be packaged in a trade.”

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Still early… right?

• Comment: “None of them. This is year 2 for a rebuilding team. The nets can and should just work slowly developing them. You nets fans acting like if they dont start producing they should be gotten rid of…. are seriously misguided on who the nets are. They can take there time and let jordi and his crew work there magic.”
  • Reply:” With the number of draft picks we have in coming years, they’ll soon be under pressure to perform or to be replaced. For me Demin, Traore and Wolf have shown the most. Saraf and Powell could be replaced in future drafts if they don’t improve quickly. It’s just business.”

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Thanks to everybody who voted and/or participated.

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The Celtics have waived guard Dalano Banton, the team announced on Thursday evening.

We have waived Dalano Banton.

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 9, 2026

Banton played in 6 games between the Celtics and Clippers last season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.8 assists per game. He played 36 minutes in the Celtics regular season finale and had 2 points, 7 assists, 6 turnovers while going 0/3 from the field.

Banton’s best stretch of his career came at the end of the 2023-24 season when he averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game with the Portland Trail Blazers.

This move puts the Celtics under the luxury tax and puts the Celtics at 14 players. Boston is allowed to remain at 14 players until the start of the playoffs.

Boston signed Banton to a 10-day contract in February and signed him on the 2nd to last day of the regular season to fill the roster to 15 players.

The Celtics exercised Banton’s team option on June 29th.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Raptors fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week’s question shines a spotlight on former Raptor legend DeMar DeRozan. The 36-year-old is nearing the end of his career, and as polarizing as he may be to many Raptors fans, there’s a case to be made that he’s one of the best available options left in free agency.

Last season, DeRozan averaged 18.4 points (lowest-mark since 2012-13), 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting 49.7 per cent from the field and 32.0 per cent from three. While DeRozan doesn’t fit the defensive identity that carried the Raptors against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, the veteran would immediately one of the best scorers on the roster.

Cast your vote, tell us in the comments, and we’ll be back soon with more Reacts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers tip off Summer League action in Las Vegas on Friday evening. They’ll take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of five guaranteed games.

Summer League debuts are always interesting. It’s the first official look at professional basketball for newly drafted players, but it’s also pretty far removed from the NBA game.

The level of competition can be hit-and-miss from a talent and continuity perspective. Everyone is hoping to show that they belong in the league, but many are more realistically trying to prove that they can be helpful to another professional team — whether that’s a different NBA team, a G League team, or an overseas team.

This all creates a unique and interesting environment — and one that isn’t exactly the best for forming too strong opinions. However, that probably won’t stop any of us from doing so anyways.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers

Where: Cox Pavilion – Las Vegas, NV

When: Fri., July 9 at 4 PM

TV: ESPN 2

Point spread: Cavs – 2.5

Cavs notable players: Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Meleek Thomas, Ernest Udeh Jr., Riley Minix, Tristan Enaruna, Malaki Branham

Pacers notable players: Braden Smith, Taelon Peter, Kowacie Reeves Jr., Jalen Slawson, Gabe McGlothan

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This will be our first chance to see newly drafted guard Meleek Thomas wear the wine and gold.

Thomas played more off-ball in college, but the Cavs believe he has some capabilities on ball as well. Koby Altman mentioned in his post-draft media availability that we’re going to see Thomas play the point in Summer League. We’ll see how he looks in that role.

The other Cavalier to keep an eye on is Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

Tomlin is the lone player on the summer roster with legitimate NBA experience. He showed that he could be helpful with his rebounding, cutting, and overall energy in 64 appearances last season. The three-ball is what held him back.

Last season, Tomlin went just 23.5% from three and connected on just 24% of his corner triples (0th percentile). That is a problem considering how the Cavs want to use him.

Tomlin can be so dynamic crashing from the corner. That, however, is neutralized if teams dare him to take that shot. One of the top priorities this offseason will be improving that shot. We’ll see if he’s more confident taking and making those looks in Summer League.

The Summer League Dallas Mavericks kick off their time in Las Vegas by playing the Golden State Warriors. It’s the game before the “big” game (Washington Wizards vs Utah Jazz), but still features quite a cast of players from June’s NBA Draft. The game’s selling point to casual fans is the Michigan match up between number nine overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg, who as selected eleventh. All four Dallas Mavericks draft picks from June should suit up Thursday evening. The game will be on ESPN Here’s the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors
• WHAT: NBA Summer League, Game 1 for Dallas
• WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
• WHEN: 6:00 pm CST
• HOW: ESPN

Since no one’s played yet for the Mavericks, there aren’t any injyuries to report heading into the game. The Warriors did play in the California Classic, but as of this writing, there aren’t any injuries to be aware of.

Since I won’t admit to being hyperaware of any of the Dallas picks prior to June, the main draw of Johnson vs Lendeborg is a good place to start with this one. The former Michigan frontcourt teammates should spend at least some time guarding one another and I’m pretty excited to see if Johnson can stymie Yaxel’s mature offensive game. Past that, I’m curious to see how Sergio De Larrea looks against NBA-adjacent size and speed. Though the selection of Tobi Lawal didn’t enthuse me, I hope his athleticism translates at this level. I hope Vsevolod Ishchenko gets playing time, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t make an appearance. John Poulakidas and Ryan Nembhard should look good in this environment, but you never know how things will pan out with different teammates.

One note: don’t get overly worried about how anyone shoots at Summer League. Part of my early Jalen Brunson disdain was watching him miss everything literally (he shot 23% from the field).

Either way, have fun. I’m going to try to!

It’s time for some basketball!

Summer League 2026 is upon us, and the Philadelphia 76ers begin their seasonal run on Thursday evening with a 5:30 p.m. ET game against the Detroit Pistons. The game will be broadcast on NBC Philadelphia Sports+ as well as Prime Video.

While far from real deal NBA basketball, this is the first opportunity Sixers fans have to see a post-college Labaron Philon Jr. at work. The No. 22 overall pick out of Alabama is the biggest name on the Sixers’ Summer League roster, with the majority of the remaining roster being G Leaguers and unsigned players.

One other name to watch, for better or worse, is going to be Johni Broome. After being selected at the top of 2025’s second round, Broome barely saw NBA action as a rookie before missing time with an injury towards the end of the season. Summer League will be one of the first indications of whether Broome might have an NBA player in him or if he simply is not cut out for the big leagues.

The Sixers’ summer squad, led by coach T.J. Dileo, take the court for the first time Thursday evening.

Game Details

When: July 9, 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia+, Prime Video
Follow: @LibertyBallers

The Kawhi Leonard trade back to Toronto is no longer just a basketball transaction.

It is now tied directly to the NBA’s ongoing investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer, Aspiration and allegations of salary-cap circumvention that have hovered over the franchise for nearly a year.

The Clippers issued a lengthy statement after Shams Charania reported that Leonard’s planned trade to the Raptors has been delayed.

According to the Clippers, the deal was agreed to in principle on June 30, but cannot be finalized unless Toronto’s ownership group assumes the risk of any potential penalties connected to Leonard’s contract that could emerge from the NBA investigation.

At this time, Toronto is not willing to do that.

The Raptors wrote that the league office informed them that, because of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, they would assume the risk of any potential outcome affecting Leonard.

As a result, Toronto said it will wait until the investigation is complete before moving forward.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the team said.

That leaves Leonard in limbo, the Clippers’ blockbuster exit plan unfinished and the Raptors’ reunion with the 2019 Finals MVP on hold.

The Clippers, meanwhile, continue to strongly deny wrongdoing.

“For the past 10 months, our organization has fully cooperated with an NBA investigation,” the team said, noting that it has participated in dozens of interviews, provided tens of thousands of documents and allowed access to staff.

The organization also denied the central accusation in the case.

“We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration,” the Clippers said.

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At the center of the investigation is Aspiration, the now-defunct green banking company co-founded by Joe Sanberg.

Sanberg pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges tied to a scheme prosecutors said defrauded investors out of $248 million. The Clippers’ statement described Sanberg as the architect of a fraud and said Ballmer, like other investors and business partners, was one of the victims.

That has been Ballmer’s position throughout the fallout.

Ahead of Sanberg’s sentencing, Ballmer’s attorney submitted a victim impact statement saying the Clippers owner lost his entire $60 million investment in Aspiration and suffered “immeasurable” reputational harm. The letter also said the Clippers lost out on a $300 million sponsorship agreement with Aspiration, along with roughly $20 million tied to carbon offset purchases.

Ballmer’s attorney argued that Sanberg targeted Ballmer because of his interest in environmental sustainability and used the relationship to attract other investors. The letter also said Ballmer had met Sanberg only once and pushed back against a civil lawsuit that added Ballmer as a defendant, calling the allegations against him baseless.

But the piece of the story that matters most to the NBA is Leonard’s reported $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration.

Players are allowed to have outside endorsement deals.

The question is whether the Clippers or Ballmer were involved in arranging a side deal that functioned as additional compensation to Leonard outside the salary cap. If the NBA determines that happened, it could classify the arrangement as cap circumvention, one of the league’s most serious violations.

Leonard has addressed the accusations publicly only once, denying wrongdoing and saying he understood the contract and services involved.

“I don’t deal with conspiracies or the click-bait analysts or journalism that’s going on,” Leonard said.

The NBA launched its investigation in September 2025 after reporting by Pablo Torre raised questions about Leonard’s Aspiration deal and whether it was connected to the Clippers’ relationship with the company.

The probe is being conducted by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, with attorney David Anders leading the review.

In a letter submitted before Sanberg’s sentencing, Anders said Sanberg had sat for two in-person interviews and provided documents and information relevant to the league’s investigation. Anders wrote that Sanberg’s cooperation helped investigators develop a more complete understanding of key events, while also stating that no promises were made in exchange for that cooperation.

That detail is important because it suggests the NBA investigation is not merely procedural. The league has reviewed documents, interviewed figures connected to the case and gathered information from Sanberg himself.

The potential consequences remain unclear.

The most infamous modern cap-circumvention case remains the Minnesota Timberwolves’ secret agreement with Joe Smith, which led the NBA to strip the franchise of first-round draft picks, fine the team and void Smith’s contract.

That happened more than two decades ago under David Stern, and Adam Silver’s approach may differ. Still, the precedent shows why the Raptors are hesitant to absorb any risk tied to Leonard’s contract before the investigation is complete.

For the Clippers, a fine would be survivable. Losing draft picks or facing restrictions that affect roster construction would be far more damaging, especially now that they are rebuilding after an era that never reached the heights the franchise imagined.

Leonard arrived in Los Angeles in 2019 after delivering Toronto its first NBA championship. The Clippers paired him with Paul George and appeared positioned to become a Western Conference power. Instead, injuries, playoff exits and instability defined the era. Now, even Leonard’s departure cannot be completed cleanly.

The proposed trade would send Leonard back to Toronto, where he remains a franchise legend, while the Clippers would receive Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, multiple first-round picks, a pick swap and second-round compensation.

But for now, the trade is frozen.

The Clippers say they expect it to be finalized once the investigation concludes. The Raptors say they still want Leonard back. The NBA has not announced its findings.

That means Leonard’s Los Angeles chapter is effectively over, but not officially closed.

And until the league delivers its ruling, the Clippers, Raptors and Leonard are all stuck waiting on the same thing: the final word on the Aspiration saga.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shared a strange “wrinkle” regarding the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes during a July 9 appearance on ESPN.

“All of the information has funneled through agent Rich Paul with LeBron James. So [interested teams] have been in the process of gathering information. One interesting wrinkle has occurred… some of the leading suitors for LeBron James… have been able to send a voice note to Lebron James, via Rich Paul,” Charania said.

Latest on the LeBron James free agency for NBA Today — including voice note pitches from some interested teams: pic.twitter.com/6FcEKTEasr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2026

“Whether it’s an owner, a president, or a general manager, being able to record a voice note, I’m told, send it to Rich Paul, and that makes his way to Lebron James. That’s a part of LeBron James’ process,” he added.

Shams added that LeBron isn’t expected to make a decision any time soon, and noted that it’s “unclear” whether the Cleveland Cavaliers of the Miami Heat — who are seen as favorites to land LeBron at this point — are among those who’ve sent LeBron a voice note.

While the prospect of sending voice notes themselves isn’t inherently strange, the fact that NBA front office and executives must resort to that in order to communicate with LeBron — not directly, but instead through LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul — is enough to raise eyebrows.

LeBron is clearly being tough to access on purpose, which is making the process to sign him more difficult than usual.

But these interested teams (which Shams mentioned were the Heat, the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers) will do whatever it takes to sign James — even if it risks coming off as a clingy or desperate.

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The Toronto Raptors have put the brakes on acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers, announcing Thursday that the trade is on hold until the NBA investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules is complete.

“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

The trade sent Leonard to Toronto for forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks. Leonard has spent the last seven seasons with the Clippers after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship.

The probe was triggered in September when the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast aired an episode detailing a contract Leonard received from Aspiration, a self-described “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $60 million in the now-defunct company that in turn agreed to pay Leonard $28 million for endorsements he never fulfilled.

The investigation is being conducted by Wachtell Lipton, a high-powered New York law firm the NBA has frequently used when attempting to determine off-the-court wrongdoing by team owners, players or referees. There is no timetable for its conclusion, and the league had no comment Thursday.

Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300-million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2-billion venue as well, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit.

Read more:NBA probe of Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard and Clippers at forefront after Aspiration fraud sentencing

Two years later when Aspiration was experiencing severe financial difficulties, Ballmer made an additional $10 million investment and Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong — Ballmer’s former college roommate — invested $1.99 million in Aspiration nine days before Leonard received a $1.75 million payment from the company. Leonard ultimately was paid $21 million of the $28 million agreed upon in his contract with Aspiration.

Leonard averaged 25.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals over six seasons with the Clippers and was selected to four All-Star teams, four All-NBA teams and two All-Defensive teams while in L.A. Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points while playing 65 games last season.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Welcome to the PretenDBA, Ebuka Okorie. The Detroit Pistons’ first-round pick will get his first official run as a professional basketball player as the Detroit Pistons face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on opening day of the Las Vegas Summer League. In an offseason that saw the Pistons add a lot of shooting (welcome, Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince, and Gary Harris (for now). What they didn’t address was their critical need for a ball handler, self-creator, and secondary playmaker. Those are some of Okorie’s signature skills, and he might be the second-best player on the team at all three. No pressure, Ebuka!

Game Vitals

When: 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch: Prime Video

Analysis

All joking aside about just how important a rookie might be to a team coming off of 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Okorie should have all the tools to absolutely show out in Summer League. This is a league built for ball handlers and playmakers, and selfishness is often rewarded if not encouraged. Not that anybody is trying to be selfish, per se. It’s just that you can only expect so much of “the beautiful game” among a group of guys who have barely shared the floor together.

Also, there are tons of fouls in Summer League, and Okorie is an ace at drawing them. I would anticipate Okorie to score a decent amount of points via drives to the rim and trips to the free-throw line. If his outside shot is also falling, watch out.

There isn’t much else to write home about regarding the Pistons roster or the visiting Sixers. Chaz Lanier, a second-year guard and second-round pick is on the very periphery of the roster. If he doesn’t show he belongs, he might be in danger of losing his spot. The Pistons have 16 guaranteed contracts presuming everyone currently on the roster plus the return of Jalen Duren. That might come down to Lanier vs. veteran Gary Harris. That is very much in favor of Lanier right now, I would think, but we shall see.

Two-way guys Isaac Jones and second-round pick Ugonna Onyenso will be on the roster. The Pistons also just signed Elijah Harkless to its third and final two-way spot. He’s 26 and already played in the NBA for the past two years in Utah. No official word on whether they plan to add him to the roster.

The New York Knicks are still basking in the glow of their NBA championship, alleviating 53 years of disappointment and frustration as the team and its fans continue to celebrate weeks after their title run.

But the Knicks' feel-good news stories amid that championship appear to be short-lived.

According to a Wired article, celebrities and other dignitaries who have attended home games at Madison Square Garden have been assigned "risk" scores. The database also tracked celebrities’ race, gender identity, and sexual orientation; even labeling nearly 100 people as “LGBTQIA." There are nearly 40,000 entries in the “talent” database, each with specific labeling designations.

Wired reported in April that security staff for Knicks owner Jim Dolan tracked a trans woman's movements using that surveillance and spying on her for the better part of two years. On June 12, ShinyHunters, a hacking group, said it would leak nearly 26 million records if MSG didn't fork over a ransom demand. Four days later, they released those records and are now facing three class-action lawsuits alleging the publishing of personal data, whicn was stolen from the World's Most Famous Arena.

USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Dolan and Madison Square Garden for comment.

This newly reported database is hardly surprising, as it was reported years ago that the arena was using facial recognition technology on those entering the facility.

The database is part of a much larger trove of documents published last month by ShinyHunters, a criminal hacker collective.

Some celebrities who have a “DO NOT HOST” tag include hip-hop producer Pete Rock, actor Will Harrison, comedian Adam Pally, and actress Julia Fox.

The database lists rapper Lil Tjay, who got into a fight with security at The Theater during a boxing match in February 2025, as “BANNED FROM MSG."

Some of the "low risk" people on the list include actors Mariska Hargitay, Edie Falco, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, musicians Ice Spice, Selena Gomez, and Benson Boone, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.

The "medium risk" folks include actors Lily Allen, David Harbour, and country singer Morgan Wallen. A few hip-hop artists appear on the "high risk" side of the database, including Freddie Gibbs, Lil Jon, DaBaby, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Madison Square Garden alleged to track and assign risk scores to celebrities

Thursday marks the day that previously agreed-upon trades in the NBA can be finalized with the start of the new league year, but one deal isn’t taking place — at least not for now. The the massive trade for Kawhi Leonard between the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors is on hold, and won’t be completed until the NBA has completed its 10-month investigation into the star and the Clippers for alleged cap circumvention.

That investigation began after bombshell reporting by Pablo Torres seemingly uncovered a scheme by the Clippers to pay Kawhi Leonard money in addition to his NBA contract through “Aspiration Partners,” a company the Clippers invested in. This company would pay Leonard as a no-show employee, which Torres said was a way for the Clippers to pay him above and beyond his max-level contract.

The Clippers continue to deny any wrongdoing, while remaining confident the trade will eventually go through, releasing a statement to ESPN:

For the past 10 months, our organization has fully cooperated with an NBA investigation, participating in dozens of interviews, providing tens of thousands of documents, and facilitating access to our staff. While the process has been challenging, we have remained committed to transparency.

On June 30, we reached an agreement in principle to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. We have since been informed that the trade can only be finalized if the Raptors’ ownership group assumes the risk of penalties related to Kawhi’s contract that could theoretically result from the ongoing investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we expect the trade to be finalized following its conclusion.

At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration. We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues.

We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.

Meanwhile the Raptors released their own statement from the other side, seemingly also hopeful the trade will go through.

Regarding our planned trade with the LA Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA League Office informed us that as a result of an ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation regarding Kawhi.

In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.

The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans.

It appears as though Toronto has put the brakes on the deal for now until it knows exactly what it is getting itself into. The predominant risk for the Raptors would be to broker this massive trade, send away their players and draft capital — only to have the NBA then void the remaining years of Leonard’s contract, or suspend him for a significant time as a result of their investigation.

It’s expected the deal could be completed as early as Tuesday of next week, when the league is set to hold its Board of Governors meeting.