NBA Puts Kawhi Leonard Investigation First: Is the League About to Drop the Hammer?

Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington react to reports that the NBA is continuing to pursue Kawhi Leonard's alleged involvement in the Clippers controversy by delaying action on the Toronto trade situation. Rob believes it's in Toronto's best interest to stay patient, arguing that the league has historically been lenient in major scandals and pointing to recent gambling-related cases where punishments were viewed as relatively soft. Kelvin, however, sees the prolonged investigation differently, suggesting the NBA's willingness to keep digging could mean the league has uncovered something significant and may be preparing to come down hard. The guys debate what the delay means, whether Kawhi should be concerned, and what the NBA's next move could be.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Uh rob G. The NBA said, uh uh, let's put
this on hold.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Yeah, big facts.

Speaker 3 (00:07):
Put a pause for the cause in Toronto because the
blockbuster trade that would have sent Kawhi Leonard back to
the six in exchange for brandon Ingram and draft picks
has been put on pause. That is because the NBA
told both teams, well specifically Toronto, y'all can make this
trade if you want to. But if you do, when

(00:27):
this Aspire investigation is complete, whatever punishment comes down involving Kawhi.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Leonard, that's on you. Now.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
You gotta have the responsibility of whatever the point of
it is going to be.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
So in the meantime, in between.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Time, if you're not ready for that, this trade is
put on pause.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
In definitely if.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
I'm the Raptors, given the history of the NBA missing
fumbling investigations, Terry Rosie clear like seriously, right, Like Malik Beasley.

Speaker 5 (01:03):
Malik Bleed Beasley clear like like like what are you
worried about? This might be the softest commissioner of any
sport where players normally and what are they gonna do
to Steve Bamber Seriously, what are you gonna do to
Steve Baum?

Speaker 4 (01:17):
They can't do anything that they can be. They can't
hurt that dude at all, and they know he's the
Daddy war Bucks. Uh. But it is surprising that the
NBA put out this warning about Kawhi. I mean, because
why has it taken ten months?

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Really?

Speaker 4 (01:36):
But you couldn't find out any gambling stuff on any
of your players, that's what they claim. I don't buy
the NBA. I think the NBA soft if you're the Raptors,
I go ahead with the deal. What what is it
going to be? Are they really gonna spend Kawhi for
a year and and uh and tell them the Steve
Balmer that he has to give up his ownership.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Is that is that's gonna happen?

Speaker 2 (01:59):
I mean, I don't want to say that's what's going
to happen. We'll have a little conversation later on in
the show kind of what we uh, what we expect
on that end, But I'll say this, I'll see your
rafters point and I'll add to it that to me,
this is a tell tale that it might actually be
something coming. I think the mc hammer is coming, Alex,
I need it. Here comes the hammer.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
So when have you gotten the hammer from Okay, I
feel you.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
And we talked. I'm gonna tell you what. No mc
hammer here comes to hammer. That's the song. No, that's
I'm not telling you now, I'm not telling I'm not
telling us a little that it was almost why I
said the song the song. Here's why I say this, Rob.
The key component to me in this is that the
Rafters went through this in twenty nineteen when they were

(02:46):
trying to keep him and trying to have him resigned.
I mean, just win a championship. You think I'm gonna
stay here. We got something good going, we're cooking, and
for him to leave. A part of that was he
and Uncle Dennis wanted to have a similar thing that
this aspiration come but he had, which is find a
way to get us some extra money so we can
circumvent the cap and I can get some extra bread.
And the raptor said, nah, we're not doing that, and

(03:08):
he said peace him out, which would lead you to believe, well,
Steve Balmer, and then.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Why are they making a deal with him now that
that doesn't make.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Anything, because I think they thought, okay, well, to your
earlier point, NBA has done his thing, and maybe hey,
we got a trade, so be it, let's go. Why not?

Speaker 4 (03:23):
But I'm saying if he was was dealing in stuff
that was illegal and you.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Didn't want to deal with that, why would you Why
would you win?

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Because that?

Speaker 6 (03:34):
Yeah, but knowing that he's being investigated as speak, And
I'm gonna tell you why because now that the league
is saying, anything's gonna fall on you, because you might
be thinking, hey, that's fine because saying that though, because
I'm answering that is gonna fall into Clippers.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
I'm saying, right, but I'm saying if any of the
trumb's gonna fall on the Clippers, cool, that none to
do with us. Now that the league is saying, hey,
whatever we find if you take, how does he on you?

Speaker 1 (04:00):
But how does he think?

Speaker 4 (04:01):
How do you think if you're the Raptors you don't
think that there'll be a suspension involved as well?

Speaker 1 (04:07):
Like the idea that it's just going to be the
Clippers is not?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
I mean that could that be? Could be their thinking?
I think And also to your point, the NBA has
been soft. The NBA has been having a track record
the last few years of being extraordinarily soft and lenient.
So I think maybe they're like Oh, they'll be leading.
We gotta got a chance to get kauiet Ad to
a good team.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Not, he's familiar. And then the league you see this
because to your point, me and you have had this
conversation probably what four or five times over the last
ten months, and nothing has really come up. We've had
guests on the show who cover them, and nothing really strong.
The only person who was going strong in the paint,
like Barkley or Oakley is Pablo Tore. He's out here
trying to win a pulster because of this. They already

(04:46):
won why exactly, winning pulsters because of this. And so
my point is you kind of thought maybe the league
would be soft in this, not that the league has
done this and put the onus on the Raptors, and
they know he has a track record of requesting any things.
You know it because he asks of you. That's why
I think they're like, all right, hold on now, pumped
antil breaks, we're good on this, and I think something
big is gonna come right because I also.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
Believe that give me, give me your big because you
can't just give me.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
You can't, you can't just do.

Speaker 4 (05:11):
They're gonna ban him from Steve Baumba force some to
sell the tea. Why not he so convented to camp.
But I just don't think because I'll tell you why.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
I think he made They made Donald Sterley.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
So that was on some wild racist things. Okay, but
I'm just I'm answering you. I'm not saying they should.
I'll tell you what I think. He just bought an arena,
not just aye just bought, just bought an arena. Well,
you enjoyed All Star weekend there? They should have let
me come see that's that bullcrap. Remember, uh. He obviously's powerful.

(05:42):
And I think because this is a one off like
a Kawhi, not a racist thing about players for decades.
That's different. And I think it won't just be seven
and a half million dollars. I think it'll be draft picks,
tons of them, including first rounds and a fine. And
then we'll have to see what they do with the Kawhiler.
Does he all of a sudden come a free agent,
like if they just all of a sudden completely void

(06:03):
his contract. But I think it'll be much bigger than
people think. It'll be much bigger than just to find
it will be picked. It'll be fine, and it might
be something else as well. I think it has to
be because my last point Rob, the NBA was having
a little moment here, right. We talked about the tanking,
we talked about the gambling. Then the playoffs come in.
They're really good playoffs. You get a great finals, you
have magical things happen, the Knicks win, big parade, everything's

(06:25):
feeling good. I think the league is like, this is
a moment where we can really put a hammer down
and say, look, this is us showing this is a
new league.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
I just I just haven't seen it, and you haven't.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
You're a better You're a better man than me to
believe in in Adam Silver, because I just have moments
have done that and all that. And the longer to me,
if they really wanted to do something, they could have
ten months for them to.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
See other than the gambling ones. But they clear and everybody.

Speaker 4 (06:54):
Clear that everybody else got clear. But then the federal
will investigated. That's the investigation people you're counting on.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Maybe they're using Pablo, Okay, what else you got, Pablo?

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Okay? This is ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
All yes, you got