Kawhi Leonard’s return to a Toronto franchise he led to the 2019 NBA title is on hold, with the Raptors and Clippers saying Thursday they won’t complete the trade until the league is done investigating Los Angeles for potential salary cap circumvention.

The Clippers have agreed to send Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks and three other draft assets.

The agreed trade occurred while the Clippers and Leonard were still being investigated by the league for potential cap circumvention after the two-time NBA Finals MVP received $28million in endorsements from Aspiration, a company with ties to team owner Steve Ballmer.

“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 a statement released to multiple outlets.

“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 organisation, and our fans."

The Clippers said they “expect the trade to be finalised” following the investigation.

Raptors: "...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.

In light of this, we will wait until the league's investigation is… https://t.co/8Zl5qLtscW

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2026

Leonard, 35, led the Raptors to their only NBA title in 2019 in his only season with Toronto before signing with the Clippers.

The seven-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 27.9 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 50.5 per cent in 65 games.