The Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors looked like a formality when the deal was agreed upon. Instead, the blockbuster has been stuck in limbo while the Los Angeles Clippers dealt with the fallout from the NBA’s investigation. Now that Steve Ballmer has accepted the league’s punishment, the biggest question remains whether the deal would go through.

The Clippers lost five future first-round picks, covering 2029 through 2033. Team owner Steve Ballmer received a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension. That was not all; even the President of business operations, Gillian Zucker, received a one-year suspension, and the President of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, was suspended for six months. The Raptors waited patiently, but the move is not official yet.

Previously, insider Jake Fischer reported, “They are saying to Toronto, they are saying to Kawhi, they are saying to Brandon Ingram’s side that they’re working through their front office structure before moving forward with this.” Now, there is more clarity on the situation.

“The Clippers still haven’t determined who will serve as the franchise’s interim governor, I’m told, as the league convenes its Board of Governors meetings in New York City tomorrow. Steve Ballmer will not attend while he accepts the NBA’s suspension and other penalties.”

The uncertainty around the Clippers’ leadership created an unusual roadblock for a trade that had already been agreed upon. Toronto could wait, but it needed Los Angeles to be ready to formally complete the transaction. Fischer then followed up with another important warning.

“I would not read Steve Ballmer accepting the NBA’s investigation findings and penalties as any indicator the trade of Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors will be completed imminently. Still sounds like the Clippers’ aren’t quite ready to get back on the phone with Toronto, even though, as @TheSteinLine reported, the NBA league office would process a trade call without an interim governor in place.”

It seems the NBA is willing to process the trade without an interim governor. In fact, the league office itself does not appear to be stopping the deal as per Mark Stein.

“Sources briefed on the situation tell TheSteinLine that the Clippers and Raptors are free at any time to co-submit for NBA approval their agreed-in-June Kawhi Leonard trade. Obviously both teams must want the trade call but I’m told there is no holdup at league level.”

In other words, Ballmer accepting his punishment removes a major obstacle, but it does not automatically approve the trade. Los Angeles and Toronto still have to formally submit the transaction for league approval. Kawhi Leonard has also addressed the controversy surrounding the situation.

The Clippers star said he accepts “full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.” He also said he had “no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

This was after the NBA investigation, which fined Leonard $700,000, and no further action. Yet the story may not end with the league’s ruling. A federal investigation into the Clippers’ dealings with Leonard is reportedly underway, adding another layer to an already complicated situation.

“Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers helped arrange secret sponsorship contracts for the star player Kawhi Leonard that circumvented the salary cap,” according to The New York Times.

That development does not mean Leonard’s trade to Toronto will be blocked. It does, however, create another source of uncertainty around a transaction that has already faced weeks of delays. For now, the NBA appears ready to process the trade.

The responsibility has shifted back to the Clippers and Raptors. If both sides submit the agreed-upon deal, the league can review it. But with a federal investigation now hanging over the situation, the final chapter of Lenoard era with the Clips might still drag on.