Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been cleared of the most significant allegation against him as part of an investigation into whether the team circumvented salary cap rules to funnel additional money to Kawhi Leonard.
The NBA has found no evidence to suggest that Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Leonard, according to Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. The league is instead investigating whether introducing Leonard to team sponsors is a violation of salary cap rules, and whether the Clippers are guilty of “failure to supervise” their employees.
League and NBPA sources suggested that any attempt to punish the Clippers for introducing a player to sponsors would go over very badly and would likely be challenged.
The report states that the Clippers received the findings of the investigation in July. The team and the NBA have been attempting to negotiate a resolution to the investigation in recent days, though nothing is settled as of yet.
In essence, it sounds like the bulk of the allegations against the Clippers have not been corroborated. The original allegations were that the Clippers used a fake third party to sign an endorsement deal with Leonard that allowed the team to pay him more money without it counting against the salary cap, as well as without Leonard having any additional obligations. That would have warranted serious punishment.
It is unclear what sort of punishment the Clippers might receive even if they are found guilty of lesser violations. The organization consistently denied any wrongdoing and suggested Ballmer himself had been a victim of fraud.
The Clippers have a pending agreement to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, but it is on hold until the investigation is complete. It is in everyone’s best interest to sort this out as quickly as possible, which is why a negotiated settlement is seen as the most likely outcome.
