The NBA's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' Aspiration endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard has concluded its fact-finding phase, with all findings now delivered to the league office for review, CBS Sports reported. Commissioner Adam Silver said this month the matter "can be wrapped up — and needs to be wrapped up — before next season."
What investigators examined
The inquiry, conducted by the law firm Wachtell Lipton, began in September 2025 around a $28 million endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration, a now-defunct carbon credits company, plus roughly $20 million in equity, per BasketballNews — with a non-endorsement clause that raised cap-circumvention questions about whether the arrangement functioned as a way to pay Leonard outside the salary cap. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had personally invested in Aspiration, which fueled the conflict-of-interest concerns. Per CBS Sports, the investigation's scope later expanded to include whether the Clippers covered expenses for Leonard without reimbursement, a second, previously unreported endorsement deal, and scrapped marketing materials that depicted Leonard as a Marvel Groot-like character for a tree-planting campaign. The Clippers have said the organization has "fully cooperated," citing "dozens of interviews" and "tens of thousands of documents" turned over to investigators.
What happens next
With fact-finding complete, the NBA must now decide whether Leonard, the Clippers or Ballmer face discipline; if the league finds cause, the case proceeds to a hearing under the collective bargaining agreement. A trade that would send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks — first reported in June, and which had already been described as on hold pending the investigation — remains frozen until the league resolves the matter. It's the second cap-circumvention probe to hit the league this year: the NBA separately opened an investigation into whether the Milwaukee Bucks used below-market early extensions to effectively pre-negotiate Gary Trent Jr.'s four-year, $64 million contract years in advance.
Source: CBS Sports
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