NBA unlikely to resolve Kawhi Leonard cap-circumvention probe before 2026 All-Star Game
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The NBA’s investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention involving Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is not expected to be completed until sometime after the 2026 All-Star Game, league sources said. The showcase will be hosted by the Clippers that February.
The probe centers on claims that bankrupt financial firm Aspiration paid Leonard $48 million for a “no-show” position created to skirt cap regulations, according to reporting by Pablo Torre. Documents reviewed by investigators show significant financial ties between Aspiration and Clippers ownership.
Records indicate Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in 2021 and another $10 million in March 2023. Over an 18-month span, Ballmer, alternate governor Dennis Wong, the franchise’s chief financial officer and the team itself collectively directed approximately $118 million to the company.
Timing of several payments has drawn scrutiny. On June 14, 2022, the Clippers’ CFO authorized a $21 million transfer to Aspiration for carbon-offset projects. Torre reported that the cash covered Leonard’s initial $1.7 million payout, helped Aspiration meet a fundraising benchmark and kept the firm solvent.
Two months earlier the club had prepaid more than $35 million for additional carbon credits, with one of those payments occurring the same day Leonard signed a “KL2 Aspire” agreement valued at $28 million.
Torre also found that Leonard received $20 million in equity from Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg, while Wong wired nearly $2 million of personal funds shortly before another scheduled payment to the All-Star forward. A text message from Leonard’s uncle and advisor, Dennis Robertson, pressed Aspiration for progress on the separate $20 million equity arrangement.
Possible league penalties range from substantial fines and forfeiture of draft picks to suspensions or even voiding Leonard’s current contract—moves that could make the two-time NBA Finals MVP a free agent and send ripple effects across the league. For now, any decision appears unlikely before the Clippers welcome the NBA’s mid-season festivities in 2026.
Source: Hoops Wire
