The Los Angeles Clippers will open their 2025-26 NBA season against the Utah Jazz on October 22, but an investigation involving Kawhi Leonard still looms over the franchise.
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported on September 17 that the current investigation has rubbed General Managers and staff within the Clippers organization the wrong way.
“This last investigation is different,” a former Clippers staffer said of the league’s inquiry into a sponsorship deal with a company that Ballmer invested in (Holmes, 2025).
“This one directly calls into question Steve Ballmer’s character. At some point, Steve has got to get out of the Kawhi Business,” (Holmes, 2025).
Clipper Nation
The Clippers shocked the world and acquired Leonard in 2019. Since he has been with the franchise, the team has made the playoffs in the last four out of five seasons. During the 2020-21 season, the team made it to the conference finals.
Leonard, who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his tenure in Los Angeles, has missed 158 regular-season games and 13 playoff games. This offseason, the franchise signed Chris Paul for a second stint with the franchise, Bradley Beal, who was bought out by the Phoenix Suns, and Brook Lopez.
Since 2019, the Clippers roster has been structured around the two-time NBA champion. Los Angeles has dealt with multiple lawsuits that involved Leonard.
In 2020, the team faced a lawsuit signing dispute involving Johnny Wilkes, and a wrongful termination case filed by a former strength coach. Now the organization is under investigation for allegedly circumventing the salary cap to pay their superstar.
The Future in Los Angeles
When Steve Ballmer purchased the team, he was full of excitement. He also guaranteed a few championships in the process. Needless to say, the franchise has not captured the Larry O’Brien trophy yet.
Holmes addressed the team’s vision throughout the years for the franchise to remain competitive. “But the team’s centerpiece remains Leonard, who will be paid $50 million next season and is eligible for an extension next Summer,” Holmes wrote.
Initially, teams, analysts, and critics were shocked by the acquisition of Leonard in 2019. Now, the feeling may have changed. “Looking back, the deal was a (expletive) disaster,” one rival GM told ESPN, per Holmes.
According to Holmes, it’s been mentioned that the Clippers have been seen as desperate in attempts to keep Leonard. “They reveal how a team desperate for a star — and relevance — capitulated to Leonard and those around him, seeking to help keep him happy and healthy, even as the organization’s culture developed into an internal mixture of fear and secrecy and an external stream of legal battles and allegations of misconduct.”
Will Los Angeles move on from the two-time finals MVP? While the team has Harden (36) and Leonard (34), age is not on their side. Not to mention, Beal (32) and Paul (40) are in the latter part of their careers.
As of now, the investigation is still ongoing, and there is no clear outcome. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who is familiar with handling issues with the Clippers, has not intervened in the investigation.