![Kawhi Leonard (L), Private jet (R) [Representative Image]](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2025/09/74339c64-untitled-design-61.jpg?format=auto&w=3840&q=75)
The news media may not have the same sterling reputation it did back in the day of Cronkite, but there’s still such a thing as investigative journalism. Incredibly, some of the best-researched and most hard-hitting stories coming out recently are in sports. And they’re coming from the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out.
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Torre released a bombshell this morning, detailing an alleged $28 million no-show job that Kawhi Leonard received from a company funded by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. This, in essence, allowed the Clippers to circumvent the salary cap and lure Leonard away from the Toronto Raptors in free agency.
If true, this is going to create massive headaches for Ballmer, Kawhi, and the Clippers. Using the Joe Smith-Timberwolves unwritten contract case from 1999 as precedent, the NBA could potentially void Leonard’s deal, fine Ballmer, and strip the team of numerous draft picks.
Torre’s explosive findings shed some new light on Kawhi’s tumultuous 2019 free agency. This revelation shouldn’t be surprising given that during that time, his uncle Dennis allegedly asked the Lakers for a slew of impermissible benefits.
Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, Dennis Robertson, Kawhi’s uncle, allegedly “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.”
None of those perks are allowed under NBA rules. And, if Torre’s report is true, Kawhi found a different way to get something extra on the side.
NBA fans may remember that at one point that summer, it seemed like the Lakers were going to land Kawhi, which would have made them heavy title favorites for years to come. It would have been a blockbuster pairing: Leonard alongside LeBron James and the recently traded-for Anthony Davis.
The Lakers did end up winning the 2020 title, but Kawhi was with the Clippers then.
The NBA investigation into Robertson didn’t result in any penalties. But this new report feels bigger, because it seems a deal was actually consummated that went against league bylaws. In the case of Kawhi’s dalliance with the Lakers, the team reportedly rebuffed each of Robertson’s requests.
No one yet knows what kind of potential penalties could be in play for the Clippers if they’re found guilty of signing Kawhi to this side deal. The team doesn’t even have all of its draft picks. So if, for instance, the NBA took five picks from the team as they did with the Wolves back in 1999, the Clippers would have no first-rounders until 2033.
Ballmer is the richest owner in the league and can easily afford any fine. But the potential punishment could be even stiffer than that.
He has proven himself to be an owner who cares about investing in the team, from high-end practice facilities to the new Intuit Dome. Ballmer can often be found in the front row cheering on the Clippers.
His purchase of the team helped the league move on from the stain of Donald Sterling, the former Clippers owner who was forced to sell in disgrace after his racist comments were leaked. Unfortunately, it seems that the Clippers may have just found a new kind of problem.
