Eleven months of investigation… for nothing?
Not exactly, but it does seem that the Clippers are going to avoid the worst in Kawhi Leonard’s case. According to reports by Baxter Holmes, Ramona Shelburne, and Don Van Natta, ESPN reporters, the NBA has not been able to find evidence showing that the Los Angeles Clippers conducted practices to breach salary-cap rules in Kawhi Leonard’s contracts. Which, even if technically foreseeable, pushes this case onto a completely new playing field.
NEWS with @DVNJr, @ramonashelburne and @ShamsCharania: The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/zmuTzWdAPd
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) August 17, 2026
It was predictable because, in a case so serious and with a clumsy precedent like the Timberwolves and Joe Smith, in which Minnesota left the illegality written into the contract, it wasn’t to be expected that the forward’s contract with Aspiration would specify the salary rules that were being violated. And for now, that is what we know hasn’t been found, since this information simply points to the lack of facts to prove that the money Kawhi received came from Steve Ballmer. But that does not make it any less relevant.
Firstly, this news means, in a sense, that the NBA does not have the necessary tools to truly go after Ballmer and the Clippers. And the truth is that, in the face of a powerful owner and a case that could set a precedent for good or ill, they needed those tools. Because if there is anything worse for the league than failing to lead by example on this matter, it is that this matter lands in the courts and they lose. And this leak confirms that all that exists right now are circumstantial pieces of evidence.
And it’s true that there aren’t few pieces of evidence and that all point in the same direction. The cake is missing a piece and Steve Ballmer has crumbs at the corner of his mouth, but Adam Silver needed a video showing clearly that he had eaten it, and it turns out he does not have it. So now he is obliged to move forward with caution.
In development
