The long investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for potential salary cap circumvention concluded with the NBA bringing the hammer down.
Per the league, its investigation conducted by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant violations by the Clippers—a prior offender of salary cap circumvention rules. The process was sparked by the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by Pablo Torre Finds Out into the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer that alleged the team facilitated a no-show endorsement deal with a now-defunct tree planting company Aspiration that funneled $28 million to Leonard.
