“I’m going to uncle Dennis” – Mark Cuban reveals how he would have dealt with Kawhi Leonard saga, defending Steve Ballmer

Although he isn’t a majority NBA owner anymore, Mark Cuban is still heavily tapped into what goes on in the league. Following some recent shocking developments, he decided to weigh in with his thoughts.

Earlier this week, news emerged regarding Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers. They are now under investigation due to off-court dealings that might have involved working around the NBA’s salary cap.

Insider Pablo Torre reported that Leonard had a marketing contract with a tree-planting company that was funded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Despite never doing any advertising for the company, he landed a payout of $28 million.

In the days since this story broke, Mark Cuban sat down with Toree on his podcast to discuss his potentially league-altering news. He defended Ballmer, feeling that the owner wouldn't have let this come to light if he knew it was in the wrong.

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If placed in that situation himself, Cuban opened up on handling it to make sure that these dealings were never found out.

"I'm doing everything possible. I'm going to Uncle Dennis and I'm saying check written," Cuban said. "Say Uncle Dennis, forget those guys. Here's $30 million to get Aspiration amnesia and just make this go away."

Uncle Dennis is Leonard's relative, Dennis Roberston. He has been known to serve as an advisor for the star forward and was cited in the marketing contract as the correspondent for all business dealings.

Mark Cuban took firm stance on recent Kawhi Leonard off-court drama

Not long after Torre's initial reporting hit the public did the NBA announce that they'd be investigating the situation. From the beginning, Mark Cuban has maintained a firm stance when it comes to Ballmer.

As Torre's initial clip went viral on social media, the longtime Dallas Mavericks owner decided to weigh in. Given the facts, he doesn't believe Ballmer is at fault for his dealings with Aspirations. Among the biggest reasons why he believes this is that the billionaire owner wouldn't have let the company go under if their shady payments were still on the books.

At the end of the day, Mark Cuban feels Ballmer was just a victim of the company's scam.

"As much as I wish they circumvented the salary cap, First Steve isn’t that dumb," Cuban wrote. "If he did try to feed KL money, knowing what was at stake for him personally, and his team, do you think he would let the company go bankrupt ? Knowing all creditors would be visible to the world ? They got scammed by Aspiration, along with many others. Crimes for which they pleaded guilty last week. Scammers do scammy things."

Mark Cuban

@mcuban

I’m on Team Ballmer. As much as I wish they circumvented the salary cap, First Steve isn’t that dumb. If he did try to feed KL money, knowing what was at stake for him personally, and his team, do you think he would let the company go bankrupt ? Knowing all creditors would

With the start of the 2026 NBA season a little over a month away, Leonard and the Clippers now have to await possible punishments for these dealings.

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About the author

Kevin McCormick

Kevin McCormick is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in journalism and a bachelor's degree in Sports Management Marketing from Holy Family University.

Kevin has worked with various notable outlets throughout his career, including 97.3 ESPN, ClutchPoints, Heavy Sports, and Sports Illustrated/FanNation, before joining Sportskeeda in March 2022.

Specializing in NBA and WNBA coverage, Kevin's passion for basketball stems from his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Among his favorite players are Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren, and Steph Curry, while his all-time favorites include Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Kevin holds Coach K in high regard for the large input he's had on the game helping mold players across multiple generations. Kevin believes the iconic rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson helped elevate the league to its current status.

Through his writing, Kevin provides in-depth analysis and insights into player and coach quotes. He prioritizes sourcing information from credible and reliable outlets.

Kevin enjoys reading, aiming to finish at least one book per month, and he is a big fan of music.

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