A New Wrinkle to the Kawhi Leonard Investigation Raptors Fans Should Know

The Toronto Raptors are waiting for the NBA to fully investigate allegations surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard circumventing the salary cap.

Updates in regards to the investigation have pushed the timeline back further every time, but another new investigation could lead to the trade between the two teams becoming null and void. Investigative reporter Pablo Torre released new findings on his podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out," where one source revealed that a sponsorship deal with Daktronics, which helped build the Clippers' new jumbotron at the Intuit Dome was "1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap."

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

Torre asked Daktronics for a statement and they responded.

“My understanding is Daktronics doesn’t have a deal with Kawhi right now," a Daktronics spokesperson told Torre. “I don’t know what the company wants to say, or can say, given the Wachtell investigation and all that.”

What This Means For the Raptors

LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard reacts against the Orlando Magic. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Torre's findings don't equate to the NBA's investigation, but this clearly does not look good for the Clippers or Leonard in getting out of this scot-free. There is a very good chance the Clippers will face a massive penalty for breaking these rules, and Leonard could also face some consequences.

The largest punishment could come with a suspension and a voiding of his contract, which pays him $50.3 million for the upcoming season.

The league's investigation has been with a company called Aspiration, which offered a $28 million endorsement deal, but it is unknown whether or not this deal circumvented the salary cap. That is what is being investigated by the NBA.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the league could punish any player or personnel for up to a year if they were willfully involved. They can also void any contract and prevent a player from signing with that team.

This news comes at a very difficult time for the Raptors, who are waiting for this investigation to close. With this information now out in the public, it opens another can of worms that the NBA has to deal with as soon as possible. Ideally, the league wants this investigation to conclude by the start of the upcoming season, but updates have been given that it may take until 2027 for all of the findings to be concluded. If that's the case, this trade will not happen before the regular season.

Ultimately, this could be a setback for the Raptors, but it isn't guaranteed to be. The deal with Daktronics isn't under investigation by the NBA yet, but it could emerge as part of the league's findings. It could, however, delay the investigation further, which only puts the Raptors in hotter water as they want this to end so they can move on and trade for Leonard.

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