We now know the NBA's verdict on Clippers' Kawhi Leonard salary cap investigation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Kawhi Leonard has been at the center of the NBA’s biggest salary cap investigation right after journalist Pablo Torre reported that the seven-time All-Star had signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, a green tech company backed heavily by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Torre alleged Leonard did little to no promotional work, raising suspicions that the deal was a "no-show job" used to pay him under the table. Over 11 months, that probe expanded to look into at least three other companies connected to the franchise. Both Leonard and Ballmer strongly denied any wrongdoing, with the team blasting the claims as "absurd." Now, after nearly a year of digging, the league has handed down its final verdict, and it is a massive win for the Los Angeles Clippers. Sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday that investigators found no proof Ballmer illegally funneled money to Leonard. A Clippers spokesperson added that connecting players with business partners is "ordinary practice" in the NBA and emphasized that the Clippers never got involved in the actual contract details. It clears the biggest hurdle standing between Leonard and his return north. The agreed-upon blockbuster trade to the Toronto Raptors had been explicitly frozen since early July, as team officials refused to finalize the deal until the league resolved the risk of potential player penalties. More NBA news:
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