The Golden State Warriors pursued a blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard before February's mid-season deadline, but weren't able to come to terms with the L.A. Clippers on a deal for the star forward.
That looked like a fortunate outcome as the investigation into Leonard and the Clippers remained ongoing, but the punishments handed down on Wednesday prove the Warriors wouldn't have been impacted at all had they acquired the two-time Finals MVP.
Failed Kawhi Leonard trade now looks worse for Warriors
Leonard was of course traded to the Toronto Raptors earlier this offseason, only for the deal to be put on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. That's been resolved, at least for the moment, after the NBA came down hard on the Clippers, stripping them of five first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine, and suspending Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker.
However, Leonard came away relatively fine in comparison. The 35-year-old will have to pay back $700,000 in improper benefits, and his business rep (and uncle) Dennis Robertson has been banned from any future NBA dealings.
Most importantly for Leonard and especially the Raptors, his contract hasn't been voided and nor is there any suspension. That means the trade to Toronto will now inevitably go through, and Leonard will be free to play from opening night against the Chicago Bulls on October 21.
Yet it could have easily been the Warriors in this situation. They thought they had a Leonard trade over the line in February, having quickly turned their attention to the seven-time All-Star after moving on from the pursuit of then Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Warriors cooled their interest in Kawhi Leonard due to investigation
After failing to complete a Leonard deal at the mid-season deadline, Golden State reportedly cooled their interest at the start of the offseason for a number of reasons according to ESPN's Anthony Slater.
Beyond the desire for a contract extension and Leonard angling himself to Toronto, there was also a concern that a . Evidently the Raptors themselves shared those sentiments given they pressed pause on the trade.
Now, with the benefit of hindsight after these punishments on Wednesday, the Warriors could have pushed to complete a Leonard trade without the worry of how the investigation may impact them. Instead of entering the season with a dangerous duo of Leonard and Stephen Curry, they'll have a fairly underwhelming roster until such time as six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler returns from injury.
