Bombshell Report Suggests Clippers May Avoid the Worst in Kawhi Leonard Investigation

The Los Angeles Clippers have been awaiting the conclusion of the league's investigation into the cap circumvention allegations in their dealings with Kawhi Leonard. It has been hanging over the head of the franchise over the last year, impacting their decisions for the present and the future of the team. It has also created a ton of uncertainty, which has led to frustration among the fanbase.

The latest report by ESPN may be hinting at a resolution. On Monday, Baxter Holmes, Ramona Shelburne, and Don Van Natta Jr. reported that not only is the investigation in its final stages, but the Clippers may also not face severe punishment.

The Latest Investigation Report May Be the Best-Case Scenario for the Clippers

The main reason for that is the fact that the NBA reportedly has found no evidence that Steve Ballmer funneled money to Leonard through sponsorship deals. ESPN based this reporting on "three people with knowledge of discussions" between the league and the Clippers.

Instead, the NBA is now more focused on whether the Clippers' introduction of team sponsors to Leonard is a violation of the league rules. Pablo Torre's reporting had identified Aspiration and Daktronics as two companies that had endorsement deals with Leonard. Even though the league has found no proof that Ballmer funneled money to Leonard using these companies, which were also the Clippers' sponsors, the facilitation of their deals with Kawhi may still be a violation.

Even if the Clippers face some consequences for introducing the team's sponsors to Leonard and encouraging a deal between the sides, this is not nearly as bad as what the Clippers were accused of doing.

The main accusation in this investigation was that Ballmer and his associates directly paid Aspiration for them to transfer the money to Leonard under the guise of a sponsorship deal. If there is no evidence for this, there is only so much the league can do to punish the Clippers.

The Clippers could still get penalized. The league is reportedly "examining whether the Clippers are guilty of 'failure to supervise' employees." It's not clear what the punishment for that would be, but it certainly can't be anywhere near what it would have been for cap circumvention.

Many feared that the Clippers could end up losing draft picks or that Leonard's contract could be voided. It's highly unlikely that either of these would happen. A monetary fine for the organization or a minor penalty for Ballmer may be more realistic scenarios. These would both be considered a slap on the wrist given what the alternatives could have been.

This means that the Leonard trade should go through without any issues. Then, the Clippers can focus on the rest of their offseason and finalize their roster for Year 1 of the post-Kawhi era.

Add us as a preferred source on Google