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3 Possible Results For Kawhi Leonard And The Clippers’ Accusations

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Kevin Marquez | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 1:12 PM ET

These past couple of weeks have shone a spotlight on the Los Angeles Clippers organization and their star player, Kawhi Leonard. They have been under scrutiny from fans and the media due to allegations of circumventing the NBA salary cap. These allegations stem from the Clippers star taking a $48 million sponsorship deal offered by the company Aspiration. The “green bank”, now bankrupt, focused on funding environmentally conscious projects and companies.

The findings, first reported by journalist Pablo Torres on his podcast, indicate that the superstar player had agreed to the deal as a means to receive payment “under the table.” The Clippers agreed to this deal as it guaranteed Leonard to choose them in free agency in 2019 and pay him extra without it appearing on their salary cap books. Steve Ballmer’s $315 million investment in the company brings up questions of shady money moves and what will happen now to the Clippers franchise and Leonard.

A Landslide Of Fines

The least effective penalty for Leonard and the Clippers would be to be fined by the NBA. The league can effectively decide to give a “slap on the wrist” by enforcing fines to be paid out by Los Angeles, Leonard, and Ballmer specifically. These fines could range into the millions of dollars when combining all the possible ones handed out after the league’s investigation concludes.

Suspending Leonard

The investigation into Leonard’s sponsorship with Aspiration could take an extreme turn if the league’s findings find some serious rule-breaking. The suspension of the Clippers’ franchise player could last deep into the 2025-2026 season. It’s possible that up to 60 games could be in contention, depending on how the NBA decides to respond to the allegations.

Future Draft Picks Taken Away

The possibility of the NBA taking away future draft picks from the Clippers would cause the most damage and be the most severe option. The franchise was already struggling when they decided to trade away five first-round picks to trade for Paul George. The deal was crucial to signing Leonard in free agency back in the summer of 2019. They gave up draft capital and mortgaged their future for the hope that the superstar duo would bring a championship to Los Angeles.

The All-Star duo experiment didn’t work out for the Clippers, so the decision to give away draft picks failed miserably. Add that this investigation by the league could force them to give up more picks, and Los Angeles has a bleak future when it comes to drafting a superstar.

End Of My Kawhi Leonard And Los Angeles Clippers Rant

After another disappointing season ending in playoff heartbreak, the Clippers’ decision to mortgage their future and bend the rules to sign Leonard is looking more foolish every season. The desperate franchise has failed its goal of winning its first championship, let alone making it to the Finals. Every other season, Leonard has been injured in the regular season or playoffs, and in the seasons where he was healthy, they were eliminated in the second round.

Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA will investigate Torre’s and other journalists’ claims of Los Angeles working around the salary cap with a supposed “under-the-table” deal. No matter what the outcome is for the Clippers, this will hopefully be a wake-up call to discuss a future without Leonard.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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