The Clippers agreed to trade Kawhi Leonard yes Predators June 30, but this blockbuster deal happened on maintenance until the NBA investigated whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay Leonard through a series of no-show agreements.
The league announced the impressive results of that investigation last week basic fines on the Clippers after they were found to have violated NBA rules against circumventing the salary cap. Los Angeles strongly disagree with the league’s decision despite the overwhelming evidence in the report from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the law firm that conducted the investigation.
However, the main reason the trade was put on hold was because Toronto wanted to see what penalties Leonard would face. The star forward was required to pay the league $700,000, but he was not suspended and his contract will not be voided. So trade is expected finalized in the near future.
Assuming the original terms of the trade still stand, the Clippers will receive Brandon Ingram, Grady Dicktwo unprotected first-round picks (in 2031 and 2033), two second-round picks (2030 and 2033) and a first-round trade (2027) from Toronto in exchange for Leonard.
There are also several relatively significant free agent signings that have yet to be officially completed.
James Harden agreed to a three-year, $97 million contract with Art Cavaliers August 20. But even after refusal Cam Whitmore (Cleveland is expected to spread its salary over three seasons, using stretch mark provision) and signing a former second-round pick Khalifa Diop before the rookie minimum contract, the Cavs have yet to make Harden’s deal official.
Like our own Luke Adams wrote Saturday in Front Office Original, the Cavs are firmly limited in the first tax apron after the acquisition Peyton Watson through a sign-and-trade and won’t be able to sign a 15th player for the entire 2026/27 season unless Harden makes slightly less than the reported terms of the deal. Adams sees that outcome as the most likely, but the second possibility is that the Cavs make another roster move to create the financial flexibility to pay Harden that $97 million.
Adams also took a closer look at why Pelicans have not completed theirs two-year, $16 million contract with Benedict Maturinwhich became known on August 26.
Because of the unlikely incentives included in the contracts for Jordan Poole, Dejounte Murrayand Sadik BayThe Pelicans will overcome the first tax apron — in which they will be severely limited after signing Mathurin — by using a portion of the mid-level exception that exceeds taxpayer dollars. So New Orleans needs to make at least one cost-cutting move before signing Maturin, and this deal will likely result in a lower luxury tax for the team in the process (signing Maturin under the stated terms of his deal would push the Pelicans over the tax line).
There are no hat-related reasons to get in the way Nuggets from the official signing DeMar DeRozanas they will use minimum wage exemption add a veteran forward. DeRozan agreed On August 21, he will sign a one-year contract with Denver.
This is just my guess, but the Nuggets may be looking to move below the second tax bracket before DeRozan signs off on his contract. They are currently about $2 million above that threshold, and adding DeRozan would push them over the second apron by about $4.5 million.
