NBA launches investigation into alleged Kawhi Leonard no show endorsement deal to skirt salary cap
NBC3 days
NBA Probes Clippers Over Alleged $28M Leonard Cap Evasion
Above: Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts during the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2025. Image copyright: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
It shouldn't be a surprise that Ballmer, whose net worth on Tuesday stood at $174 billion, would use his financial muscle to get a leg up on other teams, even if it meant skirting the salary cap. This would explain Leonard's decision to leave the Toronto Raptors when staying around would've benefited him financially in the long run. Commissioner Adam Silver investigated the Clippers' Leonard signing once before and found nothing, so the heat is on him now.
Narrative B
The NBA might not like what it finds when it probes this situation. If the Clippers really funneled the money to Leonard via a no‑show deal, it would've been a bold attempt to dodge the NBA’s salary cap— something other rich owners might've also done, but without getting caught. Other contracts have raised pundits' eyebrows and we're going to find out if this potential scandal goes beyond Los Angeles.
Narrative C
It wouldn't make sense for the Clippers to attempt a scheme like this, and instead it appears they were among the ones who got scammed. Aspiration was stealing money and then it went bankrupt, while Ballmer didn't even attempt to save it. If Ballmer was trying to circumvent the salary cap, he wouldn't have allowed the identity of the creditors to become public.
© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.15.2
© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.15.2