Kawhi Leonard

[Charania]: BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe -- stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank

Danilo Gallinari blasts Kawhi Leonard: “He should pay all $50 million. He changed the trajectory of my career and put me in a difficult situation by sending me away from Los Angeles.”

For the people calling for Kawhi to have been punished harder: This was purposeful. Because the Players Union has no reason to appeal this. And without them appealing it, Balmer has little recourse.

Pablo Torre says there’s no way Kawhi Leonard didn’t know what was going on: “I’m a big fan of treating adults like adults. Kawhi Leonard is 35 years old and we have documents, Aspiration contract, in fact, $28 million contract in which his signature is on it. We have the money flows.

[Pablo Torre] The SEC has opened an investigation into Daktronics concerning Kawhi Leonard, according to the scoreboard-maker's CFO on their earnings call today.

[Charania] Done deal: The LA Clippers and Raptors have both agreed to complete the trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders, per ESPN sources. The sides will now schedule a trade call.

BREAKING: Kawhi Leonard’s deal under investigation by the Justice Department

One of the biggest losers from the Clippers-Kawhi cap circumvention story is ESPN

[Stein] League observers are wondering aloud if the Clippers are holding off on the trade or even “considering something even more drastic” to spite Kawhi Leonard for accepting the league’s punishment rather than pursuing an appeal

Kawhi Leonard's official Instagram posted a video about his time in Chengdu, China. The beginning of the video shows a phone browsing social media, featuring ESPN's headline of no evidence being found in the cap circumvention case, followed by the NBA's statement saying the article was inaccurate

[Pablo Torre] P.S. To process the Kawhi trade, the NBA first needs to approve the Clippers’ temp governor. Ballmer and one of his alternates, Gillian Zucker, are both banned. Ballmer’s other alternate? Clippers co-owner — and Aspiration investor — Dennis Wong. But would the NBA approve that?

In June 2019, Kawhi signed a no-work endorsement deal with Ontario based, CargoJet airways. This seems to have been set up by Drake and not the Raptors. The Clippers were aware and concerned by this going into FA. They would go on to set up multiple no-work deals for Kawhi.

Did Kawhi Leonard allude to a deal with Daktronics when he said “board man gets paid”?

[Charania]: Kawhi Leonard, through his new agent, Harrison Gaines, issues statement:

In 2018, Kawhi left Nike for New Balance and sued Nike for the rights to his logo. During the lawsuit, the Clippers tried to buy the logo as a gift for Kawhi during his 2019 Free Agency. This would have broken NBA rules.

Toronto Raptors offically announce the Kawhi Leonard trade

If Kawhi had actually done some work for Aspiration would the Clippers still have been penalized?

[Greenberg] The Kawhi Leonard deal, and the financial malfeasance that came with it, has crippled the franchise. Ballmer once bragged about how many toilets are in the Intuit Dome, and that feels like a metaphor for the state of his Clippers.

Shout out to Kawhi Leonard who made $66 million doing no show jobs.

[Fischer] Prime among reasons why Kawhi Leonard's trade to Toronto has yet to be finalized: Sources tell @TheSteinLine and me the Clippers are still working through their new front office structure after NBA suspensions for Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank.