The NBA world was stunned on Wednesday after journalist Pablo Torre’s exposè accused the Los Angeles Clippers of circumventing the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard through an under the table deal. The report said team owner Steve Ballmer made the two-time champion an endorser of a tree planting company and will get $28 million instead.
This report is a big deal as Toronto Raptors, the team he willed to its first NBA title before moving to Los Angeles, was reportedly ready to give him a max deal just for him to stay.
Leonard might just be the tip of the iceberg. Torre said there is more to expose and the next team on his research is another big market team – the New York Knicks.
It can be remembered that their All-Star Jalen Brunson took a paycut last year for the team worth $113 million. Torre said he finds this interesting.
“How he arrived at the Knicks, this is where I will have to defer to the reporting I may or may not do on this,” the reporter said.
“Certainly was interesting, right? Like, okay, that’s a pretty good deal for the Knicks,” Torre said. “Anyway, I don’t want to get ahead of myself in terms of.”
Torre added that they already have sources on this case.
“I was assuming because I’m maybe dumb, like you would give a stock tip or something, right? Like have someone else be multiple degrees away. You wouldn’t do it through a company that has its signage on your building, but that’s what our sources say is exactly the thing that happened.”
Pablo Torre hints at potential Jalen Brunson/Knicks story. @NBA_NewYork @CPTheFanchise @IanBegley pic.twitter.com/jf6xBecp3W
— EJ Pierre (@ep1erre) September 3, 2025
Kawhi Leonard case gets a new twist
Torre will go down the rabbit hole for his investigation. Leonard’s case is getting more interesting by day.
Clippers already denied the allegations.
Another report revealed that Leonard hasn’t received any of the supposed compensation. First report claimed that it was for $28 million but turned out, it was for $48 million.
“Leonard never received any actual money in the $20 million stock deal as the shares never went liquid. He is also still owed a portion of the original $28 million. His LLC, KL2 Aspire LLC, is listed among the creditors in the bankruptcy filing,” Boston Sports Journal reported.
The scandal is not expected to die anytime soon. The NBA said it has commenced the investigation and Ballmer is set for a sit-down with ESPN’s Ramona Schelburne to address the matter.
BREAKING: Steve Balmer will sit down with ESPN’s Ramona Schelburne tonight to discuss the Kawhi Leonard allegations, per @espnpr pic.twitter.com/3B0UZx5aEk
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 5, 2025
For the latest Basketball Content
Make sure you are always updated on your favorite basketball players and teams. Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for the latest and trending news about NBA, college basketball, and more. Stay updated by reading more of our NBA articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
