New details continue to surface regarding allegations of salary cap circumvention by the Los Angeles Clippers, involving team owner Steve Ballmer and superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. While the NBA has already launched an investigation, league insider Marc Stein expects it to be a lengthy process, with no resolution in sight in the coming weeks.
On September 3, podcaster Pablo Torre released a report accusing the Clippers and Ballmer of circumventing the salary cap by funneling $28 million to Leonard through the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration.
The two-time NBA champion allegedly received the money in exchange for a “no-show job” following Ballmer’s $50 million investment in Aspiration and the Clippers’ announcement of a $300 million partnership with the company in September 2021.
An anonymous former Aspiration employee reportedly confirmed to Torre that Leonard’s four-year, $28 million endorsement deal, agreed to in April 2022, “was to circumvent the salary cap.”
The deal came nine months after the six-time All-Star signed a four-year, $176.3 million maximum contract to stay in LA, building a seemingly troubling case against the Clippers. Still, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is determined to give the franchise “due process.”
Marc Stein Anticipates NBA’s Investigation Into Clippers Allegations Extending Into Training Camp
On Thursday’s episode of “The ALL NBA Podcast,” Stein discussed the latest developments in the Clippers’ offseason controversy in the wake of Wednesday’s NBA board of governors meeting. Following the meeting, Silver stressed in his annual press conference that “the burden is on the league” to prove the organization’s wrongdoing.
Silver also noted that he’s “a big believer in due process and fairness” and will “let the investigation run its course.”
According to Stein, Silver isn’t likely to give in to outside pressure to act rashly and lay the hammer down on Ballmer and Co. despite possessing the power to do so.
“The CBA language basically says if there is circumstantial evidence, the NBA can act upon that,” Stein began (timestamp: 5:02). “And so, a lot of the reaction has been, ‘Well, the Pablo Torre podcast gave us plenty of circumstantial evidence, so why doesn’t the league just act upon that?’
“But if you listen to Adam Silver today, he made it very clear that they’re not going to just be acting on circumstantial evidence; that they want to run through the whole independent investigation. … They want to see some kind of formal proof that they can look at and see that connects the Clippers to these alleged payments that were made to Kawhi Leonard, in addition to his salary.”
The insider added that there is “skepticism around the league that the Clippers are gonna be hit hard” with disciplinary actions, such as being docked draft picks or having Leonard’s contract voided. However, some believe the team deserves “some kind of penalty” given all the “noise” caused by the allegations.
Additionally, Stein foresees the league taking its time with its investigation despite training camp for the 2025-26 campaign being just weeks away.
“I think, really, when you listen to Adam Silver, it became pretty clear today, it’s not gonna happen fast,” Stein speculated. “They’re gonna go through this investigation, they’re gonna go through this process, and it’s not gonna be settled by the start of training camp.”
A Thursday follow-up report from Torre indicated that Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong also invested $1.99 million in Aspiration ahead of one of Leonard’s no-show payments, raising further suspicions.
Even so, it appears the controversy could remain a dark cloud lingering over the aspiring Western Conference contender as the upcoming season fast approaches.