As the drama continues to unfold in Los Angeles, rival NBA executives are speaking out on what may be the league’s most explosive scandal in years. On his podcast, NBA insider/analyst Zach Lowe shared the growing sentiment among league personnel that the Clippers must answer for what is looking like an increasingly deliberate scheme to circumvent the salary cap.
“I’ve already had people that said, ‘I’ve seen enough for them [the NBA] to do something to the Clippers,'” said Lowe.
It’s been roughly 25 years since we’ve seen something like this, and while some people are still not convinced that the Clippers did anything wrong, it’s now up to them to disprove the accusations and provide evidence supporting their innocence.
“Most people I’ve talked to think the Clippers need to explain this now,” an executive told Lowe. “They have the job to prove their innocence at this point. The NBA doesn’t need a [smoking gun] text message or an email. It’s now on the Clippers and Kawhi to explain this way more than ‘We didn’t know’ and ‘these are bad guys [regarding Aspiration]’.”
When the league took action against Joe Smith and the Timberwolves in 2000, they had a concrete paper trail that provided irrefutable proof they broke the CBA. The penalties devastated the franchise and everyone involved, with the intent of deterring any future attempts from other teams.
In this case, the accusations are pretty damning, but no direct evidence has yet been found that shows team owner Steve Ballmer used the “Aspiration” company as a front to pay Kawhi Leonard under the table. According to the Clippers and former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Ballmer was actually the victim of a scam by Aspiration, which had previously been caught defrauding its investors. They insist Kawhi’s endorsement was unrelated to cap circumvention.
The problem is that Kawhi has a history of making illegal demands, and his contract with Aspiration included a shocking clause that was conditioned on his staying with the Clippers. What’s worse is that, despite reaching a $28+ million deal with Aspiration, he has never been seen or heard promoting the brand.
With an investigation in full swing, the NBA will be looking for evidence to prove that Kawhi’s aspiration deal was a ploy by Ballmer to pay him millions without counting against the cap. The Clippers have maintained ignorance so far, but there may already be enough for the NBA to declare them guilty.
At the very least, executives around the league want the Clippers to explain the situation beyond just denying wrongdoing. If they comply with the NBA and manage to sever their link to Kawhi’s Aspiration deal, only then can they consider themselves in the clear.
Regardless of what is discovered, the fact that it’s even gotten this far is a bad look for the Clippers. If the accusations turn out to be true, it will come with severe penalties that will set them back for years, including the loss of picks, a massive fine, and even potentially the voiding of Kawhi’s contract. Their only hope is that the investigation clears them before the damage is permanent.
