As the Kawhi Leonard salary cap scandal sweeps the NBA, certain questions hang in the air like a Game 7-buzzer beater. Why would a Los Angeles Clippers sponsor beset by secretly troubling financials pay Leonard $7 million (all terms U.S.) per year for no services rendered, on a deal that was never announced? Why would the one-time Raptors superstar also secretly receive shares in the company, a since-bankrupt climate finance firm called Aspiration, worth a reported $20 million?
And why would all this happen after Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in the company? On the surface, it looks like a relatively clear case of the most significant salary cap circumvention in NBA history. What else could it be?
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