let bygones be bygones

From history of the 2011 Lakers cancelled trade:

• Ingram is about to lose trust in org and decline

• Dick will descend into coke sex addiction

This would be so stupid if that’s how this plays out. What a disgraceful handling of this situation by the league. Seriously, why the hell did you idiots wait until free agency before you got your heads out of your asses and actually did something?

Also, like a lot of people have mentioned, why are the Raptors getting punished twice for this bullshit?

Gradey Dick: “I’m back”

Need Raptor bloggers to start publishing reports that Ingram actually never was on the table. Boston media mafia style.

Hey at least you probs getting DeRozan back

I’m guessing the other teams thought so as well and thought it was a nothing burger, but clearly not. If the NBA is willing to block a trade then they probably found something actionable.

League proceeds way too slowly so teams are forced to sit on things forever or push forward with a transaction until the league tells them no at the last minute.

See Terry Rozier.

“I don’t really listen to podcasts. What is this aspiration company?”

-Raptors front office probably

The NBA is so unserious at times. How did Toronto think they wouldn’t take on the risk of Kawhi suspension etc.?

I kinda figured the league was behind this trade.

I was thinking exactly this.

They’re at the mercy of the law firm they hired for an investigation

Things like making sure Balmer comes out of this clean take a long time dude.

Hey now, it’s only been an entire fucking NBA season.. And it’s not like they said anything, like how they would have it resolved by the All Star Break, or anything.

Seriously. Why is this Toronto’s problem?

Silver is a buffoon and this would’ve been resolved months ago had it not involved an owner who has a net worth more than the entire NBA.

Better to make a hasty decision without all of the facts just so he can be traded to benefit an organization that is also under investigation for violating league rules.

Serious investigations take way more time than people realize. Simply chasing down one little lead could take months. Also, never ever forget these people bill by the hour.

In a way it’s a very good sign that this is taking so long, as it means the firm is being allowed to actually do their job properly.

Bonkers.

Where the fuck was this energy for the Rozier trade call, Adam?

I’d alter the trade and remove a pick and the pick swap.

It’s nuts, and seems too unprofessional to happen in a billion dollar organization like the nba. How could the teams not have been made aware of this possibility before they were in trade talks? Kawhi is already in Toronto hanging with the team and talking to press, and the nba just decides now to “delay the call”? Like surely this should have been disclosed beforehand to the clippers that any team they’re talking to must be made aware that they’d assume the risk of potential outcomes

Low key Kawhi coming back felt like a fever dream anyways

I’m pretty sure other Raptor fans like me knew there was a chance this deal doesn’t go through even with Shams calling it.

He been a bum

It’s actually unforgivably incompetent that this investigation hasn’t been resolved almost a year later

Right! This didn’t need a year+ of investigating 

Don’t worry he’ll just announce an NBA Champions League and expanded play-in tournament, that will solve it

They could’ve, but then that would mean losing viewership for the playoffs and facing Balmer head on. Silver is not built for that.

Kawhi Leonard, YOU are a Birmingham Baron.

We know why they were being slow. They didn’t wanna fuck around with balmer

They did willingly trade for the guy before the investigation into him was complete lol

Raptors owner is the head of the owner’s group that will help determine the punishment…. so it seems likely that this trade was basically a “laundering” of the scandal.

sounds more like the league is giving them an out and trying to protect them from themselves.

They’d rather save face, look at the rozier situation. Miami should have gotten their first back and the hornets punished for their shady behavior but instead we got a second and they told us to be quiet. Silver is a corrupt joke.

You need to have a pretty much slam dunk case before going after balmer and kawhi (players union). It will likely be litigated instantly.

This offseason just keeps delivering 

intensely rubs thigh

Contract voiding, ban, who knows, because the league is fucking dragging this investigation forever

The Raps won’t be directly punished. The implication is that Kawhi being punished is not off the table, and if Kawhi’s punishment impacts the Raps, they should not expect any compensation.

His contract will get voided just like Joe Smith’s contract got voided

So the NBA is saying that contract can’t be traded yet unless you wanna take full risk of it until this investigation is over because it’s tied to cap circumvention

Obviously if they are found guilty of it

A long term Kawhi suspension is the implication. That’s more than enough of a risk to not take on

I know you’re being facetious, but it’s because we’re impatient drama addicts that want shit done NOW NOW NOW!

Youre not, Kawhi will be facing the punishment and you’d only have to deal with that if you get him.

It sets a bad precedent to say “You can circumvent the cap as a player and we wont punish you as long as you get traded before you get caught”

Because I am guessing Kawhi will face the punishment and if he’s a Raptor, they will have to deal with that (like missed games)

No. The raptors would assume the risk of absorbing whatever punishment is handed down to Kawhi. The clippers would still be punished, too. 

It would be losing picks/fines etc, which of course should be the Clippers’ liability.

I think this is the opposite of deported lol

Toronto might be getting saved

“Shafted” would be trading a haul for a 35 year old who gets immediately suspended for a season. This is the opposite. Unless you’re suggesting that Kawhi should be granted immunity simply because he got himself traded?

I mean why wasnt this resolved months ago? This was uncovered over a year ago and unless there is some information that we dont know about then its insane its taken this long. I agree at least they are still taking it serious but its such a slap in the face to the Raptors. We got fucked in 2019 by what happened and then also get punished? Makes no sense

Lots of people assumed the Kawhi to Toronto trade was mean to take heat off both the Clippers and Kawhi, and many pessimists here said it meant there would be no punishments for anyone.

The raptors are only punished if the trade is certified and then Kawhi is suspended. This decision is specifically designed to avoid a scenario where the raptors are punished

> Now the Raptors will end up penalized for something the Clippers did?

This line of defense only works if you had zero idea that there was any investigation before making the deal lol