Following up on Pablo Torre’s report on the possibility of salary cap circumvention involving the Clippers and star forward Kawhi Leonard, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal provides some fascinating additional details, citing a “high-level” source who says Leonard made a side deal with the company Aspiration to receive an additional $20MM in company stock on top of the … [Read more...] about Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
Clippers Owner Denies Any Wrongdoing In Kawhi Leonard’s Deal With Aspiration
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer explained the origins of Kawhi Leonard‘s endorsement deal with Aspiration during an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Thursday night on SportsCenter, but he denied that the team did anything inappropriate to circumvent the salary cap. During the 16-minute interview, Ballmer said the company asked him to provide an introduction to Leonard, … [Read more...] about Clippers Owner Denies Any Wrongdoing In Kawhi Leonard’s Deal With Aspiration
Assistant Coach Credits LeBron James For Inspiring Luka Doncic’s Transformation
Luka Doncic‘s slimmed-down appearance has been one of the major offseason storylines for the Lakers, and assistant coach Greg St. Jean credits LeBron James‘ influence for helping to make it happen. St. Jean tells Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews that being around James every day inspired Doncic to change his diet and commit to a new workout routine. “You know what? I always find … [Read more...] about Assistant Coach Credits LeBron James For Inspiring Luka Doncic’s Transformation
Clippers Deny Circumventing Cap For Kawhi Leonard
Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard found himself the subject of unwanted scrutiny Wednesday, when it was reported by The Athletic’s Pablo Torre on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that the six-time All-Star had inked a $28MM endorsement deal for “tree brokerage” Aspiration, a former team sponsor that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. L.A. owner Steve Ballmer invested $50MM … [Read more...] about Clippers Deny Circumventing Cap For Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard ‘No-Show’ Endorsement Deal May Have Violated Salary Cap Rules
2:54 pm: “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the L.A. Clippers and are commencing an investigation,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Clippers, meanwhile, issued a longer statement to Steve Henson of The Los Angeles Times strongly denying that they engaged in any sort of cap circumvention. “Neither … [Read more...] about Kawhi Leonard ‘No-Show’ Endorsement Deal May Have Violated Salary Cap Rules