The league's investigation into the franchise is nearing its final stage.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard just finished one of the best individual seasons of his career, and the biggest story surrounding him right now has nothing to do with basketball.
The two-time Finals MVP played 65 games in 2025-26 and averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, helping a team that started 6-21 claw its way to a 42-40 record before being eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors.
Off the court, a much bigger situation has been building for nine months.
ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported Thursday that Leonard, his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer have all been interviewed by NBA investigators.
The league is examining whether the franchise used the now-bankrupt green banking company Aspiration to pay Leonard outside of his contract and circumvent the salary cap.
Executives from the company have also sat for interviews.
What Started the Investigation
The probe launched in September 2025 after Pablo Torre's Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast uncovered internal documents tying the Clippers' relationship with Aspiration to Leonard's compensation.
Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration before the company signed a $300 million sponsorship deal with the Clippers, and roughly six months later, Aspiration signed Leonard to a $28 million endorsement deal that an anonymous employee called a way to get around the salary cap.
The company's co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, was recently sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a $248 million wire fraud scheme.
Both Leonard and Ballmer have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Just before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, commissioner Adam Silver said the independent investigation needs to move toward a conclusion.
"We can't be investigating forever, and at some point we have to wrap it up, but at the same time, the most important thing is we get it right," Silver said.
What the Clippers Could Face
Under Article XIII of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, the penalties for salary cap circumvention can be severe.
The league can fine a team up to $7.5 million, strip draft picks, suspend team personnel for up to one year and even void a player's contract.
The closest comparison in NBA history is the Minnesota Timberwolves' Joe Smith case from 2000, when the franchise lost five first-round picks, was fined $3.5 million and saw its owner and head coach suspended for a full season.
The timing adds another layer of difficulty for a franchise already at a crossroads.
The Clippers traded James Harden, who averaged 25.4 points and 8.1 assists over 44 games, and Ivica Zubac at the deadline to begin a youth movement.
Leonard put up a career-high in scoring while carrying the team through the second half, and his $50.3 million final-year salary has already drawn trade interest from the Warriors, Rockets and Heat.
Once the law firm wraps its report and hands it to Silver, a neutral arbitrator will review the evidence and decide whether the commissioner has grounds to punish the franchise.
