NBA Finds No Evidence in $28 Million Leonard Scheme, Eyes Clippers Sponsor Introductions
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 17
NBA Finds No Evidence in $28 Million Leonard Scheme, Eyes Clippers Sponsor Introductions
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 17
Summary
Eleven months into the probe, the NBA has told the Clippers it found no evidence Steve Ballmer funneled sponsor money to Kawhi Leonard to evade the salary cap.
The league is instead examining whether the team's introductions of Leonard to sponsors such as Aspiration, Daktronics and Boingo amounted to salary-cap circumvention or a failure to supervise employees.
Those talks have turned to a possible settlement, but Ballmer has signaled he would fight any finding that he or the team intended to circumvent the cap and could push the case to arbitration.
The scrutiny began after reports tied Ballmer's $50 million 2021 Aspiration investment, the Clippers' $300 million arena-partner deal and Leonard's $28 million endorsement contract.
The case now matters beyond Los Angeles because team-sponsor introductions are common across the NBA, and league and union sources doubt that theory would survive arbitration before the 2026-27 season.