The Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors appears imminent as the NBA awaits the final steps to make the blockbuster deal official.

Clippers, Raptors spoke, both sides intend to follow through with Kawhi Leonard trade; Leonard expected to sign extension in Toronto

Kawhi Leonard’s seven-year run with the Los Angeles Clippers has reached a controversial conclusion. Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019 after leading the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship and winning Finals MVP.

The Clippers lost Paul George and a haul of picks for nothing. Now they've lost Kawhi Leonard too — and it's cost them even more.

The NBA handed the Clippers historic penalties for salary cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard's endorsement deals, while Leonard himself faced minimal consequences after investigators found he was unaware of the violations.

As the fallout from the Kawhi Leonard salary cap scandal continues to shake the league, legendary Clippers broadcaster Ralph Lawler expressed shock over the NBA’s unprecedented penalties. Lawler warned that losing five first-round draft picks sets the franchise back to the ‘dark ages’ while noting that Leonard surprisingly escaped the lightest.

The yearlong investigation by Pablo Torre Finds Out into the Clippers’ byzantine attempts to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap was vindicated by the findings of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton Rosen & Katz.

By handing the Clippers the largest team punishment in team history, Adam Silver channeled his inner David Stern.