One of the most chaotic off-seasons in NBA history has almost come to a close. Superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Julius Randle, LaMelo Ball, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James all have a new home entering the 2026-27 NBA season, but one superstar is still awaiting the outcome of a league investigation to find out where he will play this season.
This off-season, a blockbuster trade was announced by the NBA, sending Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto in exchange for young talent and draft capital. Though the trade was announced two months ago, it has yet to be finalized.
Will Kawhi Leonard return to Toronto this season or deal with this investigation for this upcoming season? That’s a question that could shed a dark cloud over the 2026-27 NBA season.
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The dilemma
Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers are accused of paying Kawhi Leonard through sponsorships from other companies to bypass the salary cap and pay Leonard more money.
The NBA has been investigating the situation for the past 11 months. Green banking company Aspiration is the main suspect, as the NBA believes Ballmer may have funneled money through the company to pay Kawhi.
The NBA has not yet come to a conclusion on whether or not Ballmer funneled money through another company, but there are at least three other companies that could have potentially been involved, according to an ESPN report.
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Updates
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The NBA has no evidence that money was funneled to Leonard through sponsorships from other companies, according to an ESPN report.
The league is now investigating whether the Clippers are guilty of “failing to supervise” employees. It is unclear what rule the Clippers may have violated or what the penalties would be if they are found to be guilty.
Aspiration signed a $300 million deal with the Clippers in 2021. The company then signed a $28 million deal with Leonard in 2022. An employee of the company claimed this was to “circumvent the salary cap,” according to an ESPN report.
Ballmer claims that this is a serious issue and that if “circumvention of the salary cap” did happen, he would want it investigated.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he wants the issue to be resolved before the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. For fans’ sake and Kawhi’s sake, hopefully it’s resolved sooner rather than later.
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