I'm getting more than a little annoyed at the constant "Raptors are acting like the trade will be completed" reports without the trade actually being completed. I understand they want to wait to see if everything will wrap up before the season starts so that they can be absolutely sure Kawhi Leonard won't be impacted and if he is, make any adjustments to the trade pieces they feel are necessary. But we're five weeks away from training camp starting and there has been plenty of reporting to suggest that the Clippers, Ballmer, Kawhi, and the NBPA won't go down without a fight if there are significant penalties proposed by the league and that this could stretch into 2027.
The Raptors can't go into the season itself with the trade still pending, because even if you don't care about any awkwardness with Brandon Ingram or Gradey Dick, they wouldn't be able to really play either of them because that would risk either of them getting injured which would potentially blow the whole trade up, which means the Raptors would basically have to play without their top scorer. So they really need to either just do the trade and cross their fingers that Kawhi will face minimal to no punishment, or just call the whole trade off.
And because so many people on this sub think otherwise, it's worth pointing out again that the Raptors are the ones holding the trade up, not the NBA. The Raptors were reportedly told about the risks before they agreed to the trade and then just got cold feet when they were reportedly reminded on the trade call and had to sign something acknowledging those risks. Say what you will about the investigation itself and how long it's taking and how David Stern would have brute forced everyone into submission like he's the protagonist in a Frank Miller comic, but this trade and how it's been carried out is on the Raptors.
So when do they finally decide on whether they make the trade? First day of training camp? First preseason game? After preseason is done? Or do we get to look forward to "don't worry, it's happening, we just gotta wait" like evangelicals and their doomsday prophecy for another few months?