Report of Another Shady Kawhi Leonard Sponsorship Deal Puts Clippers in a Tough Spot

The league's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' dealings with Kawhi Leonard is about to hit its one-year mark. The investigation is currently holding up the trade that would send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. When it will conclude and what punishments will be doled out remains to be seen, but it can certainly have a massive impact on the present and the future of the Clippers.

The organization has been denying any wrongdoing since the beginning. The main allegation in the investigation is that the Clippers paid the company Aspiration to give Leonard a sponsorship deal to circumvent the salary cap.

However, there is a reason the investigation has lasted longer than many had anticipated. Last month, The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov had reported that the law firm conducting the investigation, Wachtell Lipton, was looking at a potential endorsement deal with another company.

On Thursday, journalist Pablo Torre dropped a bombshell that gave us more insight into what this deal might look like.

BREAKING: Kawhi Leonard had a hidden, multimillion-dollar "sponsorship" with Clippers' scoreboard-maker, sources tell @PabloTorre.

"It was 1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap," insider says.

In our investigation, Daktronics' Ballmer-linked crisis firm raises NBA probe ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/LU1AeBAF44
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) August 7, 2026

Kawhi Leonard Allegedly Had Another Sponsorship Deal the Clippers Used to Circumvent the Cap

Torre, who has been the main investigative reporter covering the Leonard saga, revealed on the latest episode of his show, Pablo Torre Finds Out, that Leonard had a secret, multi-million-dollar deal with the jumbotron company Daktronics, which the Clippers were allegedly using to circumvent the salary cap. Torre based his findings on multiple sources, including someone under contract for the Intuit Dome and a former high-level Clippers official.

After reaching out to Daktronics, Torre's team received word from their PR communication team that "[Their] understanding is Daktronics doesn't have a deal with Kawhi right now." When followed up, the executive from the PR company said, "I don't know what the company wants to say, or can say, given the Wachtell investigation and all that."

These responses are noteworthy. The company could have easily denied or refused to acknowledge these allegations. Instead, they mentioned the name of the law firm conducting the investigation and said they don't have a deal "right now". The fact that the name Wachtell was invoked suggests that this relationship between Leonard, the Clippers, and Daktronics might be a part of the league's investigation.

This doesn't look good for the Clippers, Steve Ballmer, or Leonard. None of this is proven, and this is what the law firm is trying to get to the bottom of. However, the fact that there are more and more allegations accusing the Clippers of engaging in similar, shady practices is not a good sign.

It's becoming increasingly hard for the league not to punish the Clippers or Ballmer. It is ultimately Commissioner Adam Silver's decision, and he must be aware of the optics of giving the Clippers a slap on the wrist after these serious allegations have been made public. He will be pressured into a severe penalty, at least to the Clippers and Ballmer. Leonard might still go unscathed, as his knowledge of these deals may be more difficult to prove.

This undoubtedly complicates matters for the Clippers organization. If Leonard's contract is voided, the trade with the Raptors will be cancelled. That means LA loses Kawhi for nothing. If they lose draft picks, it will severely hamstring their ability to rebuild. It will also hurt the reputation of the franchise significantly.

If these allegations are false, the onus is now on the Clippers to respond and explain. Otherwise, they may not be able to escape the league's punishment.

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