NBA insider claims Adam Silver ignored Kawhi Leonard nearly indulging in cap circumvention with $4.4B franchise

The LA Clippers, team governor Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard are in the eye of the storm right now. A report by Pablo Torre alleged Ballmer and the Clippers had circumvented the salary cap and paid Leonard an additional $7 million per year in endorsement money for a total of $28 million.

NBA insider John Gambadoro took to Twitter to report that the Toronto Raptors, valued at $4.4 billion, according to Forbes, attempted the same while trying to convince Leonard to stay in Canada:

“From what I know from sources – when Kawhi signed with the Clippers the Toronto owner Larry Tannebaum was beside himself because he believed he bent over backwards for Kawhi – including calling three sponsors to meet Kawhi’s demand of an extra $15 million in endorsement money.”

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According to Gambadoro, despite this being a violation of league policies, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver didn't act, even though it was brought to his attention:

"This was brought to the attention of Adam Silver as a concern over the cheating going on in the league being out of control. But no action was taken as it was thought Tannebaum didn't truly understand the rules - only a promise to get more serious about it in the future."

Research shows that Steve Ballmer invested $50 million of his own money in Aspiration, a "green bank" intended to offset its clients' carbon emissions by planting trees.

Shortly after, Leonard and his representative, his uncle Dennis, put together a shell company called KL2 Aspire LLC, and received $7 million a year from them for what was basically a 'no-show job.'

Leonard didn't technically have to endorse the company, and the deal could only be terminated if he was no longer an employee of the Clippers.

Will the NBA void Kawhi Leonard's contract?

With the NBA reopening its investigation into the matter, the question that looms large is whether Kawhi Leonard's contract will be voided.

There is a precedent. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern laid the hammer on the Minnesota Timberwolves when they committed a similar offense. Stern voided all of Joe Smith's one-year contracts, fining them $3.5 million, suspending the team's governor and GM, and forcing them to forfeit five consecutive first-round draft picks.

The Timberwolves struggled to field a competitive team for years because of the ripple effects of these sanctions, and if the Clippers and Leonard are found guilty of wrongdoing, similar punishment could follow.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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