LAS VEGAS — The NBA loves player movement, and that was true long before the new collective bargaining agreement, with its punitive second apron, started encouraging more trades than ever.When combined with the star power of the league’s best players, transactions allow the NBA to stay in the news almost year-round. August and September are usually quiet, but there have been some whoppers completed in late summer. The NBA capitalizes on that. There are always many moves, some of them seemingly out of nowhere, at this time of year.The Kawhi Leonard trade — well, now an on-hold trade — did not come out of nowhere. It is stupefying, then, that the NBA was caught unprepared. The Luka Dončić trade in January 2025 was proof that any player could be traded at any time. Certainly, that would include Leonard, an older, injury-prone player whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season. The league should have been out in front of this. Instead, it appears it was reactive to trade talks, with the LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors down the road on negotiations before firmly stepping in.To be clear, per sources briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league’s probe is ongoing, the NBA informed the Raptors several days before the deal was agreed on that they would be proceeding at their own risk. The Raptors would assume the risk for any penalties levied against Leonard (but not the Clippers) if the trade was completed and then Leonard’s contract was voided. If this trade does not go through, the Raptors should accept their share of the blame.Kyle Lowry announces his retirementEric KoreenHowever, this situation should have been confronted months ago.The league should feel responsible for two reasons. The first is not clarifying Leonard’s status the moment the NBA started the investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap in retaining Leonard in 2021. Obviously, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was going to wait until law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz delivered its findings before deciding on what punishment the Clippers and/or Leonard could face. However, so long as there was a possibility Leonard’s contract would be voided — and why wouldn’t there be? — the NBA should have explicitly told the Clippers (and probably all 30 teams) that any team that traded for him would have to deal with the consequences Leonard received.Undoubtedly, that would have undercut the Clippers’ leverage in any trade negotiations involving Leonard. Additionally, the National Basketball Players Association would surely have objected to limiting Leonard’s trade market, should it have an impact on where he might get another contract. However, teams are constantly assessing and reassessing their situations, especially as major transaction windows approach. At the trade deadline, the Clippers traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac for future-minded returns. You do not need to be an NBA devotee to understand the guy turning 35 whose contract is expiring might be next.