Last week, Pablo Torre reported that the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the cap by giving Kawhi Leonard a "no-show" endorsement deal with the fraudulent company Aspiration. After this, people naturally made comparisons to the Minnesota Timberwolves' Joe Smith scandal 25 years ago. This is logical, as this was the last time a team was punished for cap circumvention. However, as more evidence comes out, it's clear that this Kawhi situation is far worse, and it's hard to argue that the Los Angeles Clippers are innocent.
Most recently, Torre added to his reporting that Kawhi received a $1.75 million payment in December 2022 from the fraudulent Aspiration just days after Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong made an almost $2 million investment. Furthermore, this came on the same day on which Aspiration laid off 20 percent of its employees. This, paired with the mountain of evidence, makes it difficult for the Clippers to be deemed innocent.
The two scandals are fundamentally different
Even before this recent significant piece of evidence, it's worth noting that the Leonard and Smith scandals were fundamentally different. Leonard was given a $28 million "no-show" endorsement from Aspiration back in 2021. Later, the Boston Sports Journal reported that Aspiration gave Leonard an extra $20 million in stock from company co-founder Joe Sanberg, which was confirmed by Torre.
Despite such a large endorsement deal, Kawhi never publicly displayed any affiliation with the company. It's undeniable that Kawhi was given a near $50 million endorsement deal from a company that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in.
We already knew that Ballmer was punished for attempting to circumvent the cap when they signed DeAndre Jordan, and that Kawhi, along with his uncle Dennis, made lavish requests back in 2019. The league investigated these claims in 2019 that Kawhi and his uncle Dennis tried to circumvent the cap. With the previous evidence and Torre's latest reporting, it's hard to deny that the Clippers circumvented the cap.
The Wolves-Joe Smith situation was far different. Smith signed three consecutive contracts, all below $3 million annually with the Wolves, with the written promise of a long-term deal worth $86 million as Minnesota would gain his bird rights. There was no under-the-table money; however, this open promise wasn't allowed.
Following this, David Stern and the NBA came down hard on the Wolves. Smith's contract was voided, the Wolves were stripped of five first-round draft picks (two were later reinstated), and fined $3.5 million. Plus, owner Glen Taylor and general manager Kevin McHale were both suspended from the team.
The punishment must fit the crime
There might not be written evidence that the Clippers used Aspiration to pay Kawhi under the table. Nevertheless, there's too much evidence (which is backed up by former) that the Clippers did indeed try to circumvent the cap. Being paid under-the-table money is far more severe than being promised a larger contract, and the NBA must act accordingly.
Adam Silver must set the precedent that circumventing the cap is unacceptable, and this punishment should be at least similar to what the Wolves got. With more money involved, the fine should also be higher. While the Clippers don't have much future draft capital, the league must take away what they can. Of course, Ballmer and anyone else who was involved should be suspended. As for Kawhi's contract, it must be void.
Who knows how severely the NBA will really punish the Clippers, though. Silver's initial comments have been incredibly vague, and his history doesn't involve harsh punishments. Regardless, the evidence has reached the point where it's too much to ignore, and some level of punishment should be a certainty.