NBA Agents Show Concern Over Kawhi Leonard's Deal With Aspiration

This entire situation sent the NBA world into a frenzy, and the league office ultimately decided to launch an investigation into the Clippers, as they are being accused of circumventing the salary cap.

NBA agents are shocked

Not only are fans shocked about this situation, but a few anonymous NBA agents who spoke with The Athletic's Joe Vardon could not believe this "no-show job" either.

“The issue here isn’t the cost,” one NBA player agent said. “If you heard, hypothetically, that a Michael Jordan or a Kobe Bryant had a deal to endorse (a team sponsor), whatever it cost, would you bat an eye? The issue is services rendered, and is the team an investor in the companies giving the players contracts?”

Of course, many experts have placed the blame on Aspiration, saying that they simply made a mistake of paying Leonard all that money and never using him as an endorsement resource, but too many things align for it to be only on the company.

“There’s too much fire here, it’s not just smoke,” another NBA player agent said. “Seven million (annually) for a no-show deal is ridiculous.”

A third NBA agent revealed how much a normal endorsement deal of this caliber would cost a company, and why this $28 million figure is so absurd.

“An outlandish number,” that agent said. “Typically those deals are for somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million, depending on the size of the company, the market, etc.. And you can almost always see their work.”

While the NBA investigation is ongoing, too many things line up that suggest they are in the wrong. Whether it be the initial $50 million Ballmer invested, the additional $2 million that Dennis Wong put in when Leonard's payment was running late, or Leonard's history with under-the-table requests from teams, this situation is not a good look for the Clippers.