Clippers could run out clock on Kawhi Leonard investigation

The NBA investigation of the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard has lasted nearly a year. Even with more revelations of questionable endorsement deals, the clock is in the Clippers' favor.

Steve Ballmer of the Clippers is the NBA's richest owner and has repeatedly expressed that his team did nothing wrong. If the league doesn't reach a settlement, the Clippers and their lawyers could push for arbitration, a process that could stretch longer than the NBA can stomach.

Kawhi Leonard had multiple secret endorsement deals

It appears likely that Leonard had an unreported endorsement deal with Clippers jersey sponsor Aspiration, a climate credits trading company that has since gone bankrupt, with its founder sentenced to 14 years in prison. He also appears to have had an unreported endorsement deal with Daktronics, the manufacturer of the scoreboard in the Clippers' new arena, the Intuit Dome.

But whether the secret dealings amount to salary-cap circumvention may be harder for the NBA to prove, or at least defend in arbitration and a possible appeal. The Clippers shrank the NBA's time frame to do so by trading Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that saw Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick head to the Clippers along with draft picks.

Perhaps if Leonard was still a Clipper, the NBA could go into next season with the potential ruling on the investigation still pending. Waiting now leaves two franchises and multiple players in limbo, with the Raptors refusing to complete the trade before they know the consequences for Leonard.

NBA and Clippers appear heading for settlement

The Leonard deals are extremely shady. Leonard never did a single post, advertisement or public appearance in exchange for a reported $28M from Aspiration, unlike the company's other celebrity endorsers. Daktronics, a scoreboard company, hasn't had any other celebrity spokespeople at all. And why would it? It makes scoreboards for arenas, hardly a consumer business.

But with just over two months remaining before next season starts, the pressure is on the NBA to resolve the situation, not the Clippers. Ballmer and the Clippers have all the time and the money in the world to wait. Worst case, they would simply take back Leonard and trade him later.

The Raptors don't wait to wait. Nor do the NBA or the other 28 teams. In legal proceedings, the Clippers are confident they can hold firm and still get the last shot.