Kawhi Leonard was in Toronto on Tuesday night, taking in National Bank Open quarterfinal action as Naomi Osaka faced Elena Rybakina at the Masters 1000 event.
Sportsnet reported that Leonard, the former Raptors star whose return to Toronto has been the subject of a stalled trade, also met American Coco Gauff during his visit. Gauff advanced to the semifinals on a walkover after Belinda Bencic withdrew due to injury.
It was Leonard's first appearance in Toronto since a trade that would send him from the Los Angeles Clippers back to the Raptors was put on hold in early July.
The deal has been paused because of an ongoing NBA investigation into allegations the Clippers tried to circumvent the salary cap during negotiations on Leonard's most recent contract extension in 2024.
What the trade would send back
When completed, the trade would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Clippers in exchange for Leonard, according to Sportsnet.
The Raptors addressed the delay in a press release on July 10.
Regarding our planned trade with the LA Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi, the Raptors said in the release. In light of this, we will wait until the league's investigation is complete.
The team added that it still wants the move to happen.
The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,
Leonard helped lead the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship before leaving in free agency that summer. His possible return has been one of the biggest storylines of the offseason for Toronto fans.
Tuesday was not his only recent stop in the city. Leonard was also spotted in Toronto on July 7 as a guest of the Raptors during Kyle Lowry's retirement announcement.
