The NBA may not be close to finishing its Clippers-Kawhi Leonard investigation.
According to reporting tied to ESPN's Baxter Holmes and later summarized by the New York Post, the league probe into possible salary-cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers could stretch into 2027. The issue centers on Leonard's reported $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration, the bankrupt company that also had a $300 million sponsorship deal with the Clippers.
The key point is still uncertainty. The NBA is investigating whether Leonard was improperly compensated through a third-party arrangement connected to his team, but no final finding has been announced. The Clippers have denied wrongdoing, and NBPA executive director David Kelly has questioned whether there is enough evidence to support penalties.
If the league does pursue discipline, the possible penalties could be serious: fines, draft-pick forfeiture, suspensions, or contract consequences. A case that drifts into 2027 would hang over Leonard, Steve Ballmer and the Clippers through another season.
For now, it remains a probe, not a verdict. The league has to prove the mechanism before it can punish the outcome.
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