Between Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, and Jaylen Brown, the Portland Trail Blazers expressed interest in just about every traded star this offseason before surprisingly coming away with Ja Morant. Besides Morant, one star never really linked to them in trade rumors was Kawhi Leonard.
Considering how Leonard has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, this turned out to be a great decision by Portland.
Wednesday, ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported that the NBA continues to investigate whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard. Worse, it could potentially drag into 2027 if the parties don't agree on the findings or any proposed settlement.
It's hard to feel bad for the Toronto Raptors, as this messy situation was going on far before they decided to reunite with their 2019 Finals MVP. They've willingly tangled themselves into the mess, which now puts both the Raptors and Clippers in limbo heading into the 2026-27 season.
Blazers' decision to pass on Kawhi Leonard looks better than ever
Portland has question marks of its own to solve after the Morant trade, as a team that still needs more shooting and forward depth. But at least they know exactly what they're getting themselves into to start the season as far as who is on the roster. New head coach Micah Nori will have plenty of time to figure out how these imperfect pieces can fit together to the best of his ability. The Raptors don't even know whether they have the best player on their team.
It remains to be seen how this situation will play out, and quite frankly, the NBA has dragged it on for far too long. But Toronto's 2026-27 fate is essentially out of its hands as it waits to see if the parties can agree on what, in all likelihood, will be some form of punishment.
There was so much talk about how Morant's off-court issues could be problematic in Portland, but he deserves the benefit of the doubt as those questionable decisions are all in the past and he looks to improve himself under the new Pacific Northwest change of scenery.
Meanwhile, Leonard is the one with an actual ongoing investigation that is somehow now hurting two teams. It just goes to show how much the concern surrounding Morant was blown out of proportion.
It was already in the Blazers' best interest to avoid trading for Leonard since he has just one year remaining on his massive $50 million deal, as they'd run the risk of sacrificing future assets for what could easily be a one-year rental -- similar to why they weren't able to win the Giannis sweepstakes.
But pair that with the fact that we don't even know if Toronto will have Leonard to start the season, and Portland's decision to pass looks better than ever.
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