The NBA’s investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers could have been avoided if they had played by the rules, like the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to.
Leonard’s 2019 free agency saw him primarily pick between returning to the Raptors or joining the Clippers or Lakers in LA. Leonard chose LAC, hoping to become the franchise’s face and win a title.
The Clippers allegedly had to pay a steep price for Leonard and arrange sponsorship deals, which are now under heavy scrutiny and could cause their signed 2024 contract to be voided.
Kawhi Leonard allegedly had a list of banned perks for the Lakers
The Athletic reported in 2019 that the Lakers categorically refused to engage in anything murky while pursuing Leonard, while the Clippers are now under NBA investigation for possible cap circumvention.
“Sources say the league was told that Robertson asked team officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house, and — last but certainly not least — a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team.”
“A source with knowledge of the Kawhi-Lakers talks said Robertson made those requests repeatedly to owner Jeanie Buss over the course of three phone calls that spanned several days, and that she made it clear that such perks were illegal and would not be considered.”
It doesn’t look like Leonard received the first three of his requests, with the Aspiration investigation focusing on whether Leonard received additional off-court money through sponsorships.
Kawhi Leonard’s career is stuck until the NBA passes a verdict
The Clippers have already agreed on a trade with the Raptors to send Leonard back to the franchise he left in 2019 to come to the Clippers.
Unfortunately, the Raptors will not formalise the trade until the NBA’s investigation is complete, as any penalties handed to Leonard will ultimately be Toronto’s problem, especially if his contract is voided.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season, arguably the best year of his career.
But the 35-year-old forward doesn’t have a good basketball future to look ahead to until the NBA decides his punishment.
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