By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer have been cleared of allegations that they funneled money through team sponsors to circumvent the salary cap to pay forward Kawhi Leonard, as reported by ESPN on Monday.
The update regarding the 11-month investigation noted that instead of direct financial misconduct, investigators are now focusing on whether the team’s practice of introducing Leonard to corporate partners like Aspiration, Daktronics, and Boingo Wireless constitutes a violation of league rules.
This ongoing dispute has currently put Leonard’s pending trade to the Toronto Raptors on hold while the NBA, the Clippers, and the National Basketball Players Association negotiate a resolution or prepare for potential arbitration.
The league’s inquiry initially focused on a $28 million endorsement deal between the two-time NBA champion and the now-defunct green banking firm Aspiration. The probe began after a podcast report by Pablo Torre revealed that Ballmer had personally invested $50 million in Aspiration, while the Clippers secured a separate $300 million partnership with the firm. The investigation later expanded to include multi-million dollar deals with Daktronics and Boingo Wireless.
The league is currently exploring a failure to supervise charge against the team, though the exact rules violated remain unclear.
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