LA Clippers Could Have Proof Against Kawhi Leonard, Aspiration Allegations

The new information from Torre adds another layer to the original allegations that the Clippers used Aspiration to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

The New Reporting from Torre

In a new development to the already ongoing investigation by the NBA, Pablo Torre reported that there is a new person of interest in the allegations.

Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong, according to documents obtained by Torre, invested roughly $2 million in the now-bankrupt company, Aspiration, on December 6th, 2022.

To make matters even trickier, the investment came just nine days before Aspiration made a late $1.75 million quarterly payment to Kawhi Leonard because of his endorsement deal.

What Can the Clippers Do Now?

This is where the Clippers must be able to provide evidence on their end. A new report from Jake Fischer of "The People's Insider" revealed some details about how Los Angeles is operating internally.

"The Clippers have maintained that they welcome the league's investigation and believe they can prove the various assertions false … including, sources say, by providing original emails that show it was Aspiration which sought that first introduction to Leonard's camp rather than the Clippers directing the company to Leonard," Fischer wrote.

He continued to say, "Numerous rival team executives have pointed out to The Stein Line that, since there is no shortage of circumstantial evidence already available, there wouldn't appear to be much need for the NBA's investigation to find its own more direct connections between the Clippers and Aspiration to drop some kind of hammer on Ballmer, his organization or Leonard. The optics are that bad in the eyes of so many beholders."

The new reporting from both Torre absolutely deepens the suspicion that the Clippers coordinated an effort to pay Kawhi Leonard outside of the salary cap rules, and while Ballmer and the organization have maintained their innocence, the new details about Wong's investment cast doubt on their claims.

On the other hand, can the Clippers feasibly prove that they have hard evidence against the documents obtained by Torre? It is now up to the league to prove that on their end.