Five Picks Gone, a Federal Probe Pending, and Kawhi Leonard Is Finally a Raptor

The Kawhi Leonard era in Los Angeles is officially over — for the second time in the last two months, technically — and the way it ended tells you almost everything about where the Clippers are headed.

On September 14, the Clippers and Toronto Raptors completed the blockbuster trade that had been agreed to in June and then sat in limbo for roughly two and a half months while the NBA finished its investigation. Per Yahoo Sports, the deal sends Leonard back to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation — a return shaped heavily by the penalty the league had just dropped on Los Angeles.

The bill came due first

The NBA's ruling is the loudest story of the week: a $30 million fine, five forfeited first-round picks, and owner Steve Ballmer suspended from team and league activities for one year. Leonard was fined but not suspended. The Clippers responded by "vehemently rejecting" the findings and vowing to fight the punishments through "every avenue," per CBS Sports.

Then it got worse. About a week after the NBA's announcement, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn opened a criminal investigation into the franchise's dealings with Leonard, per reports from ESPN, CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports — the same office that oversaw the Tim Donaghy case and, notably, the gambling probe involving Chauncey Billups.

So while other teams spent September on roster construction, the Clippers spent it on lawyers.

What's left on the floor

Leonard was the last Clipper with a legitimate claim to being a franchise centerpiece, and Yahoo Sports framed the trade that bluntly: it didn't just remove their best player, it removed the argument that they had one at all. The return — Ingram, Dick and picks — is a volume play, not a star play. FanSided's Raptors coverage noted Toronto held the edge in negotiations because it could offer the best future draft value among a limited pool of suitors.

That matters because the Clippers' draft cupboard is precisely what the league just raided. Five first-rounders gone, and the picks they do owe elsewhere create awkward downstream effects — Oklahoma City, for instance, is positioned to benefit, which FanSided's Thunder coverage flagged as a direct consequence of Ballmer accepting the penalties.

There is one thread of optimism in the reporting: Yahoo Sports notes precedent exists for teams reacquiring stripped picks, and multiple outlets have pointed to a possible loophole that could soften the blow. Treat that as speculative. It's a hope, not a plan.

What it means for the season

The market has already priced this in. BetMGM lists the Clippers at a 30.5 win total for 2026, and their championship odds sit at 75,000 — the same tier as Memphis, Milwaukee, Chicago and New Orleans, and near the very bottom of the league's 30 teams. Only Brooklyn and Sacramento sit longer. That's not a prediction from this corner; it's a snapshot of how the league's professional evaluators view a roster with no centerpiece, no first-round picks to trade, an owner sidelined for a year, and a federal investigation hanging overhead.

The honest read: this is a reset season whether the Clippers want one or not. The best-case outcome isn't contention — it's clarity. Figure out who the face of the franchise is, develop whatever young talent is on hand, and pray the legal and league appeals go better than the last month did.

The worst-case outcome is that the 2026-27 season becomes a footnote to a courtroom.