The NBA’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers possibly circumventing the salary cap via a no-show endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard has officially become a basketball controversy.
The Clippers and the Toronto Raptors announced this week their trade involving Leonard is on hold pending the outcome of the league probe. The possibility that Leonard’s contract will be voided and that he will be suspended are two variables that dramatically impact the trade’s value and could lead to a reworked trade package.
Last month, the Clippers agreed in principle to trade Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks. Leonard, 35, previously played for the Raptors in 2018-19; the team won the NBA title that year, and Leonard was named Finals MVP.
Leonard, however, is a central figure in an alleged plot by the Clippers to pay him millions beyond his player contract—a direct violation of the CBA.
Last year, journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre, of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, broke the news that Leonard and then-Clippers sponsor Aspiration signed a four-year endorsement deal in 2022 that didn’t obligate Leonard to perform services and would have ended if the forward had been traded.
