Kawhi Leonard’s contract with Steve Ballmer’s fraudulent tree-planting company: All details we know so far

With the 2026 season just around the corner, Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers find themselves in some hot water. Developments emerged Wedensday morning that Steve Ballmer might have broken some rules to lure in the star forward six years ago.

While his podcast, analyst Pablo Torre dove into what might be some behind-the-scenes business dealings between Leonard and Steve Ballmer. He cited that a tree-planting company funded by the Clippers owner recently filed for bankruptcy. The suspicious part is that an entity owned by Leonard is among the institutions they still owe money to.

Later on, Torre brought on a former employee of the company who spoke anonymously about Kawhi Leonard. They cited that he had a marketing contract with the company worth $28 million, but he never ended up doing any more of endorsement.

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The former employee then went on to say that Leonard and Ballmer came to this agreement as a way to work around the NBA's salary cap.

"I was told these are the major contracts and the major players you really need need to be aware of," the ex-employee said. "By the way we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi Leonard, a $28 million organic marketing sponsorship deal with Kawhi."

"And that if I had any questions about it, essentially don't because it was to circumvent the salary cap."

Pablo Torre Finds Out

@pablofindsout

Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a "no-show job" with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre. "It was to circumvent the salary cap," an inside source says.

While diving into the contract himself, fellow insider Kevin O'Connor also mentioned something of note. Leonard's deal with this company is only effective as long as he is a member of the Clippers.

Kevin O'Connor

@KevinOConnor

This story is WILD. There is a clause that says Kawhi Leonard only gets paid as long as he is still with the Clippers. Great work @pablofindsout.

All of this is on top of the $428 million Leonard has made with the three contracts he has signed with the Clippers.

Clippers could face stern punishment amid recent Kawhi Leonard allogations

Working around the salary cap is a major offense in the NBA and can be met with major repercussions. Though no announcement has been made yet, the league will likely launch an investigation into this situation amid the information that has been brought to light.

As this discourse continues to swirl online, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports touched on what punishments the Clippers could face if they are found guilty of foul play.

Circumventing the salary cap is punishable in the form of hefty fines, forefitting future draft picks and the league could void contracts connected to such allegations.

Sam Quinn

@SamQuinnCBS

NBA penalties for cap circumvention: - Fine of up to $4.5 million for a first offense. - Fine of up to $5.5 million for a second offense. - Loss of one first-round pick. - The possibility of voiding contracts that involved circumvention.

After a busy offseason, the Clippers were poised to make a run at a championship this season. Following the latest news, off-court drama could derail their title aspirations.

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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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