It was business as usual for the Los Angeles Clippers at the start of training camp on Tuesday amid the NBA’s investigation into the franchise. Kawhi Leonard has already denied any wrongdoing at the team’s media day regarding his deal with Aspiration.
According to The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver, billionaire owner Steve Ballmer and the people in charge of the franchise are feeling confident about the league’s investigation of their alleged salary cap circumvention.
“In the Clippers’ front office, the September storm has disrupted business as usual. According to team executives, who spoke with The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, Ballmer and his front office are steadfast in their belief that they will be exonerated by the NBA’s investigation, which is being conducted by the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz law firm,” Golliver wrote.
One Clippers executive told Golliver that the ordeal has affected the team’s preparation for the upcoming season, calling it “exhausting” and “infuriating.” Despite some information uncovered by journalist Pablo Torre, the exec believes the Clippers followed the NBA’s salary cap rules.
Clippers Star Kawhi Leonard Breaks Silence on Issue
Speaking to reporters on Monday’s media day, Kawhi Leonard was unsurprisingly asked about the issue surrounding himself and the Los Angeles Clippers. Leonard denied any wrongdoing with Aspiration and doesn’t want to think about it heading into the new season.
The NBA is going to do their job. None of us did no wrongdoing and that’s it. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team,” Leonard said.
Leonard added that he knew beforehand that there might be some issues about his contract with Aspiration. The fraud company still owed him money after going bankrupt, with “The Klaw” adding that he fully understood the contract he signed with them.
“This is all old news. The company went bankrupt a while ago, so we already knew this was going to happen. The company went belly up. It was a fraud, as everybody knows. If you want more details, you need to ask the owner or whoever else was involved in the fraud,” Leonard said.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was one of the investors in the company, which was initially founded back in 2013. They were investigated by the federal government in early 2024 before filing for bankruptcy last March, as reported by Bloomberg.
Timeline of NBA’s Investigation on the Clippers
Fans are eager to know the result of the NBA’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers, but they will have to wait for a few more months. Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti reported on September 18 that the resolution will likely happen after the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend in February.
It’s a convenient timeline for the league and the Clippers since the All-Star Weekend will be hosted by the franchise at the Intuit Dome. The NBA hired the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate whether or not the Steve Ballmer-owned franchise violated the salary cap rules.
The Clippers begin their preseason on October 9, when they take on the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
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