Reports of Kawhi Leonard Forcing Raptors Owner for $15M Endorsements Surface After $28M Fraudulent Deal With Steve Ballmer

The alleged scandal involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers is a storm that could end careers. Reports of a fraudulent deal Leonard allegedly made with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer have made it pretty much open season on both parties.

The Clippers have categorically denied these allegations. However, another report suggests that this isn’t the first time Leonard and his team have attempted to circumvent the salary cap.

Leonard maintains a quiet persona on the court. But that doesn’t mean he’s too shy to ask for what he feels he is worthy of. That’s, of course, a good thing. But over the years, the two-time NBA champion seems to have made considerable and reportedly questionable demands on different teams.

During the 2019 offseason, quite a few teams sought Leonard’s services. At the time, he was fresh off a championship with the Toronto Raptors and a consensus top player in the league.

Even the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to lure Leonard out of Canada to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those negotiations, however, didn’t get too far after Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, made ridiculous demands.

“He asked team officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house, and last but certainly not least, a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported.

Looks like the Lakers weren’t the only team on which such lofty demands were placed. John Gambadoro has recently revealed that Leonard’s team had made a similar push toward then-Raptors owner, Larry Tanenbaum.

“When Kawhi signed with the Clippers, the Toronto owner Larry Tanenbaum was beside himself because he believed he bent over backwards for Kawhi,” Gambadoro said. “Calling three sponsors to meet Kawhi’s demand of an extra $15 million in endorsement money.”

Unlike the Lakers, the Raptors met Leonard’s demands. Yet he still chose to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. It didn’t take long for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to find out about what was going on.

“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 Tanenbaum didn’t truly understand the rules, only a promise to get more serious about it in the future,” Gambadoro said.

The recent allegations about Leonard and the Clippers are much different. Silver is unlikely to let them off the hook with a warning. A notable example of a similar case is the one involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joe Smith in 1999. The league stripped the Timberwolves of five future first-round picks and voided Smith’s contract with the team.

It’ll be interesting to see what Silver and the other league officials decide to do. Punishment is certainly on the way, but its extent remains to be seen.