However small the risk might be that Leonard’s …

However small the risk might be that Leonard's contract would be voided, that was reason enough for the Raptors to play it safe by cooperating with the league's preference to close the investigation before finalizing the trade. The NBA has only voided the contract of one player, Joe Smith, and that was after the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him to three consecutive below-market deals with the promise to sign him to a longer, richer deal in the future. In that case, the league voided Smith's contract, the Timberwolves released him and the power forward signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons before returning to the Timberwolves the following offseason on a six-year deal.