Tyrese Haliburton Jokes About Kawhi Leonard’s ‘No-Show Job’ Amid Clippers Scandal

Haliburton, 25, is currently in recovery after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Finals. As a two-time NBA All-Star with career averages of 17.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, he's the face of the Pacers, but he also plays by the rules.

That's not the case for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. Currently, they are at the heart of an investigation into a potential cap-circumvention scheme that could cripple the franchise for years to come.

It all started with a report by Pablo Torre, who revealed a suspicious link between Kawhi Leonard and the tree-planting company, Aspiration. Leonard was signed on as a sponsor for the company, earning more than high-profile celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. with a $28 million contract. The problem is, he wasn't actually required to do anything to earn the money.

Despite the arrangement out-ranking his deal with New Balance, the contract's only stipulation was that Kawhi remain a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. It was deemed a "no-show" contract because Kawhi didn't even have to mention or market the brand to hold up the deal.

What's worse is that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was a major investor in the company. He allegedly poured at least $50 million into Aspiration, only for it to be later revealed as fraudulent. In a recent statement, Ballmer denied any knowledge of Kawhi's dealings with Aspiration, and he feigned ignorance at the fact that they had reached a $28 million deal, plus roughly $20 million in company stock.

The story was enough for the NBA to launch a full investigation, and the latest reports indicate that this could be very serious and very detrimental to the Clippers. If found guilty, they could have to pay millions, forfeit draft picks, or even have their contract with Leonard voided.

Amid the ongoing drama, people around the league have speculated what else might be going on behind the scenes. How many other stars have secret, back-door agreements with their teams? What other teams might be complicit in breaking the salary cap rules?

For Haliburton, all he can do is laugh and joke at the chaos. The Pacers know better than to risk their future by breaking CBA rules, and he doesn't have to worry about experiencing a similar ordeal. Still, he can acknowledge how sweet it must be to get paid $28 million to do nothing. While he's certainly good enough to warrant such action, his only focus is on winning, and he's above making outrageous demands that might cause devastating damage to his team.