The Los Angeles Clippers are under investigation for allegedly circumventing the NBA salary cap by giving Kawhi Leonard a no-show endorsement contract on top of his Clippers deal.
Although nobody says the Clippers or Kawhi are guilty of the charges, several articles in recent days have laid out the possible penalties if they are.
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Given what could happen to Leonard and how the Clippers have done little to protect his name in the aftermath, former All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas believes that this incident will set a precedent for future superstar players to avoid signing with the Clippers as a free agent.
“Let’s be real… after that whole Clippers Kawhi situation, no superstar touching that jersey again. Y’all turned a Finals MVP into a cautionary tale. The league watching like, ‘Nah I’m good bro, I’ll take my talents ANYWHERE else.’ Clippers officially the graveyard for big names,”wrote Gil on “X.”
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The Clippers have done nothing to defend Kawhi
The two-time Finals MVP likely wouldn’t be in this position had there not been questions about compensation beyond what the league allowed. Still, because both Leonard and the Clippers have been tied to the allegations, it seems like they should be in this fight together.
Instead, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been busy defending himself, claiming he was scammed by the owners of Aspiration, and that neither he nor the Clippers had done anything wrong to violate the league CBA.
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On the other hand, neither Ballmer nor the team has issued a statement defending Kawhi, like denying that he or any member of his team ever asked for “illegal payments.”
“The fact that you’re going to treat Kawhi like this, and he’s the only superstar that came there willingly. When you talk about getting someone of that stature in that jersey, and this is how you’re going to end the relationship, your money can’t change the history of something. You bit the Kawhi bullet. You gotta sit with it. You have to,” said Gil. “It’s more about the legacy that you’re trying to leave, right? If you throw dirt on his name and kick him out, a lot of other free agents are going to be reluctant to come there.”
The biggest FA to sign with the Clippers
The Clippers were an unpopular team under Donald Sterling for a long time. Things started to change when Steve Ballmer took over the team. Still, the Clippers could not land the top free agents every summer. That changed in 2019 when Kawhi spurned the Lakers and Raptors to sign with the Clippers.
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“Our focus is on building our own legacy, building the Clippers’ legacy,” Leonard said in 2019. “That’s how the Lakers started. Who won the first championship with the Lakers? That’s how we’re going to start our movement. We’re going to go in and obviously have a goal set of winning a championship, and if we can get one, then that’s going to start the changing process.”
But instead of winning championships, injuries have been a big part of Leonard’s tenure in L.A. And now, just as it seemed like he was going to be healthy to start the season, this controversy blew up. Some say he has no one to blame but himself or his Uncle Dennis. However, the Clippers could have done better to defend him since they are together in this mess.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.