The ongoing investigation involving Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, the team, and now-bankrupt company, "Aspiration," comes with a significant amount of speculation, analysis, and overall confusion.
A result is not expected any time soon, but as the days and weeks grow, more information and expertise could help determine how the league feels it should punish the Clippers, if at all.
The original reporting by Pablo Torre of "Pablo Torre Finds Out" states that Leonard's company, KL2 Aspire LLC, signed a four-year, $28 million "no-show" endorsement deal with Aspiration.
Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a "no-show job" with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre.
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 3, 2025
"It was to circumvent the salary cap," an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1
The internal source that Torre had on the show claims that the deal was to "circumvent the salary cap," which is very much against league rules.
Of course, outcry and public reaction were immediately spread across media and the internet, with part-owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, even doing a podcast with Pablo Torre defending Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
.@mcuban took issue with @PabloTorre’s reporting on Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer and the Clippers, so naturally they tweeted at one another, hopped on a multi-hour Zoom, and hashed it out. pic.twitter.com/gjmUDymMgv
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 5, 2025
But, what do the other NBA teams actually think will happen?
In a segment on ESPN's "NBA Today," insider Bobby Marks revealed the feelings that teams across the NBA are relaying to him.
"Yeah, think the fans how they should be walking away is that this is going to be a waiting game here," Marks said. "I think that what they should, which realize that do not jump to conclusions on here. What is the smoking gun?
"I know in the CBA could be circumstantial evidence here, but I think the league would go down a slippery slope if we're going that way, because I think you can find a lot of teams who have maybe violated the salary cap based on circumstantial evidence with it with regards to the Clippers here."
Of course, the expectation has been that the Clippers will receive some form of punishment, but Marks believes otherwise.
"This is just from talking to teams, the teams I've talked to, they're not expecting a penalty here, a significant penalty of anything, just because they realize how significant salary cap circumvention is. anything, do we maybe see a rule in place where the league takes up uh a more of a understanding as far as betting what contracts players signed with sponsorship uh agreements that are related with teams?"
Teams are not expecting the LA Clippers to receive a significant punishment, per @BobbyMarks42:
— APHoops (@APH00PS) September 10, 2025
“The teams I’ve talked to, they’re not expecting a penalty— a significant penalty— if anything.” pic.twitter.com/3J0DZjSOpB
With the NBA's investigation just beginning and the season starting in October, a resolution for the situation does not appear to be coming anytime soon.
With Adam Silver's comments on the matter at the NBA Board of Governors meeting being stale and without much substance, it looks like this could drag into the middle of the season, possibly even longer.
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