When more than two months of patience bolstered by carefully calibrated confidence was finally rewarded, the excitement that ran through the Toronto Raptors organization was palpable.

Weeks of cautious optimism suddenly gave way to elation shortly after Los Angeles Clippers general manager Trent Redden reached out to Bobby Webster, his Toronto Raptors counterpart, to (finally) complete the trade they had agreed on back on June 30. It had been in limbo since July 9, when the Raptors paused the trade until the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers' salary-cap circumvention scheme was completed.

Internally, the Raptors never wavered in the belief that the trade — sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round picks (2031 and ’33), two future second-round picks and a 2027 first-round pick swap in return for superstar Kawhi Leonard — would unfold as initially planned.

Even when the results of the investigation were announced on Sept. 2 and it was clear the finding would have no impact on Leonard’s availability this season — which the Raptors had been expecting all along — there was still more waiting.

With owner Steve Ballmer and top two-ranking team officials facing league suspensions, the Clippers briefly went dark as they tried to sort through what — if any — response they might make to the league’s punishment, and who would emerge as their top basketball decision-maker.

After nearly two weeks of deliberation and threats of legal action, Ballmer’s statement Sunday night that he would accept the NBA’s decision rather than fight the $30 million fine, multiple suspensions to team staff and the loss of five future first-round draft picks signalled the process was moving toward a conclusion.

A call from Redden to Webster........

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