NBA Exec Seemingly Indicates Clippers Investigation Result as Kawhi Leonard Gets $50M Relief

“I’d want the league to investigate, take it seriously,” said Steve Ballmer in his first interview since the release of Torre’s report. The Los Angeles Clippers continue to be in hot water, amidst reports that Kawhi Leonard was given a $28 million endorsement deal in which he did not have to truly endorse anything or show up anywhere. Pablo Torre, who first broke the news, reportedly claimed that Leonard received payment through a now-bankrupt tree-planting company, which even Steve Ballmer, the Clippers owner, was a significant investor in. Amidst reports of the NBA set to launch an investigation, however, one NBA executive is putting his confidence in Ballmer and Leonard.

According to a recent report by ‘The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, an anonymous front office executive reportedly spoke to him about Steve Ballmer. The executive stated that “Steve is really intelligent. I don’t believe he’s dumb enough to wire $50 million to a company, just to have that company turn around and give it to Kawhi. I don’t believe it.”

The executive’s claim was made amidst reports that the NBA’s investigation will focus on a $28 million contract Pablo Torre uncovered that was reportedly held by the now-bankrupt fintech company, ‘Aspiration’, to make Leonard do no work. Steve Ballmer reportedly funded Aspiration with $50 million, and two weeks later, the Clippers announced a $300 million partnership with it. However, along with the executive, Jason Lloyd also displayed confidence towards Steve Ballmer and the Clippers by questioning the timing of things.

“Also unexplained in all of this is why the Clippers even needed a sweetener to land Leonard, who was already going to miss the 2021-22 season with a partially torn ACL,” wrote Lloyd. “If the evidence uncovered this week dated to 2019, when the Clippers first landed Leonard, the dots would connect themselves. The period in question is after Leonard had already played two seasons in Los Angeles”.

Mar 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kawhi Leonard was in a position back in the summer of 2021 to pick up his $36 million player option. He instead became a free agent, leaving the door open for any team with enough cap space to try to sign him. According to Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg, the starting salary would have been $39.34 million, which was the same number the Clippers offered. However, the NBA’s 2017 collective bargaining agreement was reportedly designed to incentivize players to stay with their current teams.

“Investigators will presumably have to prove that Ballmer set all of this in motion and deposited money into an account strictly for Leonard, a player whom he had agreed to pay $176 million over four years, knowing he was going to miss one of those seasons recovering from a major knee injury,” Lloyd added. “It might be more difficult to prove than it appears”.

The anonymous NBA executive and Jason Lloyd laid out a foundation on how not to jump to conclusions regarding Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer. It remains to be seen whether this report will change the minds of people like Stephen A. Smith. After all, the ESPN sportscaster openly showed his different stance on Pablo Torre’s report.

Stephen A. Smith Stands in support of Kawhi Leonard’s allegations: “the worst superstar I have ever seen in sports history”

Stephen A. Smith touched base on Pablo Torre’s report hours after its release. He called the accusations “serious”, highlighting how attempts to circumvent the salary cap can surely put someone at an unfair advantage. However, instead of laying it out on Steve Ballmer, Smith used Kawhi Leonard’s past to show there was enough proof to claim the legitimacy of the allegations.

“That sounds just like Kawhi Leonard. No show job, no show job, don’t have to show up, don’t have to do a damn thing. That sounds exactly like Kawhi Leonard,” said Stephen A. Smith. According to reports, Kawhi Leonard has missed 45% of the regular-season games and 30% of the playoff games in his entire NBA career. He played his lowest amount of games in a season since joining the Clippers, only 37 of them, just last season. The reason for his absences in the recent season was highlighted as occurring due to his ailing knee. However, that reason wasn’t enough for Smith.

“He does absolutely, positively, nothing to promote your franchise …I have said on many, many, and I will say it again, he is the worst superstar I have ever seen in sports history,” Smith added, expressing his personal opinion on Leonard’s off-court presence. “This is not about his play and it’s not about his character…If you’re averaging over $40.3 million a year in your career with the Clippers, can you do interviews? Can you do promotional appearances?”

 

My thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard situation pic.twitter.com/XHXdAR9lsu

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 3, 2025

As Jason Lloyd said, “Court is in session. The Honorable Adam Silver is presiding. All rise”. In light of all these claims, it remains to be seen just what will happen next.

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