Among the people loading up their guns of righteousness in the Kawhi Leonard scandal, Tim McMahon was the latest to highlight how the Los Angeles Clippers star ended up in the mess he is in right now. Of course, there is little to be happy about.
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It has been alleged that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled an extra $28 million to Leonard through a now-bankrupt company called Aspiration. If proven true, the consequences could be massive, as it would be a clear violation of the league’s salary cap rules.
McMahon, however, is not only critical of the current scandal, which has become the hottest NBA story of the summer. He is also pointing back to the many issues Leonard and his adviser, Dennis Robertson, better known as Uncle Dennis, have had over the years.
“Kawhi Leonard and his Uncle Dennis decided long ago that all the NBA’s rules and regulations do not apply to them,” said the insider during an ESPN broadcast alongside Brian Windhorst.
“The salary cap rules? They don’t apply to him. Injury report rules? Sure as hell don’t apply to him. Any kind of load management rules? Those don’t apply to him. Tampering? Naw. Kawhi does whatever Kawhi and Uncle Dennis feel like he wants to do.”
The words came off like flaming daggers. It is clear that McMahon is not pleased with a scandal dominating the headlines, especially with other major basketball stories unfolding this summer, such as EuroBasket and a wave of juicy trades.
“I do not dispute that assessment,” Windhorst added in agreement. But MacMahon wasn’t done there either. He brought up Leonard’s ugly exit from the San Antonio Spurs back in 2018.
“They left the San Antonio Spurs in shambles. The Raptors benefited greatly. They won a championship in his one year, but then ya know…”
The two-time Finals MVP’s exit from San Antonio fractured the Spurs and left the franchise scrambling to regain its identity. His one-year stint in Toronto brought a championship, but his decision to leave immediately afterward stripped the Raptors of the superstar they needed to sustain their momentum. Both franchises have spent years trying to fill the void he left behind.
Windy brought up how all of these things can be true about Kawhi, but how it’s still partly the Clippers’ fault for the Aspiration scandal. “If you decide to get into business with people who are consistently shady, I don’t know how much you deserve the benefit of the doubt when things come up and look really shady,” responded MacMahon.
The Clippers’ future now hangs in the balance, along with Leonard’s legacy. What once looked like a superstar move to build a contender has become a gamble that may backfire. If the allegations prove true, the fallout could damage both the franchise’s reputation and Kawhi’s standing in the league.
