After dragging on for the better part of a year, the latest development isn't about catching anyone red-handed — it's about all parties starting to talk. According to a report from SportsNet's Michael Grange, the NBA's investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers made under-the-table payments to Kawhi Leonard through an undisclosed endorsement deal to circumvent the salary cap has effectively wrapped up its fact-finding stage. The Clippers organization and the NBA Players Association (NBPA) are now quietly negotiating in an attempt to bring the controversy to a close.
The case had grown more complicated after media personality Pablo Torre's bombshell report, which alleged that a "second" undisclosed multi-million-dollar endorsement deal — involving companies including Daktronics — may exist between Leonard and Clippers-affiliated partners. But Grange's report adds a crucial detail: sources widely believe that regardless of whether this new evidence holds up, it won't change the league's next steps. In other words, the investigation has moved past "what else needs to be examined" and into "how does this get wrapped up."
The most likely outcome, according to Grange, is a negotiated settlement — the NBA issuing symbolic sanctions and penalties, allowing Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to save face, while Leonard is cleared to officially suit up for the Toronto Raptors. The trade, frozen for over six months due to the investigation, now appears more likely to prioritize getting the player back on the court over fully unraveling exactly how the salary cap may have been skirted.
