The universe (and Magic Johnson) did the Los Angeles Lakers a favor when Kawhi Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers in 2019 over the superior LA team. He chose Paul George over LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a decision that already aged poorly, but especially now, after Pablo Torre's alleged bombshell report about the Clippers circumventing the salary cap.
On Wednesday's episode of "Pablo Torre Finds out," the host revealed that he had discovered Leonard received a $28 million, no-work contract in 2022 from Aspiration, a San Francisco-based environmental company that went bankrupt earlier this year.
Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers in 2021, although he would've been eligible for a $235 million deal in 2022 (the same year the Aspiration deal went into effect). He signed another team-friendly extension with the Clippers in 2024 — a three-year, $153 million contract.
The Clippers' PR team said that Ballmer nor the team "circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration." The Athletic reported on Wednesday afternoon that NBA spokesman Mike Bass said that the league is "commencing an investigation."
Lakers were lucky to miss out on Kawhi Leonard in 2019 free agency
Remember how it felt six years ago when Kawhi chose the Clippers over the Lakers?
Think back to that moment and consider how it feels today, knowing that the Lakers didn't offer Kawhi and his uncle, Dennis Robertson (who is also his business partner), ownership in the team, a private plane, and a house. The NBA investigated the complaints that Robertson was asking for benefits such as those listed above, but they found that the Clippers didn't give in to those demands.
The Lakers were considered the frontrunners over the Raptors and Clippers. However, according to The Athletic, a source stated everything changed when Magic spoke to the media about his meeting with Kawhi and Dennis (subscription required). The source said they felt like they couldn't trust the Lakers.
Look who has won a title since then, and who didn't (and never has). As good as Kawhi can be, he's hit the 60-game mark with the Clippers one time (he played 68 games in 2023-24). Injuries have haunted his career, which is unfortunate, of course, but the last thing LA needed to worry about the past few years was paying an oft-injured player like Kawhi.
Now, the Lakers can be thankful that they don't have to deal with the headache the Clippers are currently experiencing. The Lakers' brass wouldn't have thought they'd get by with helping Kawhi land a lucrative deal with an outside company to help give them financial flexibility.
You can draw your own conclusions from listening to Torre's podcast, but let's just say it's not looking good for the Clippers. Let's see what the league discovers.