Kawhi Leonard’s cap circumvention investigation is still the thing people around the NBA can’t stop talking about.
That’s the word from Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who said the situation has become a major topic inside the league even with plenty else happening around it. The Los Angeles Lakers were just sold to Bob Iger, who grew up a fan of the LA Clippers; Russell Westbrook recently retired from basketball; some of the top free agents, like James Harden and Peyton Watson, remain unsigned; and the official regular-season schedule just dropped. But inside NBA circles, Leonard’s case keeps rising to the top.
Media day and training camp are coming up soon, and the timing only adds to the noise. The investigation has been going on for nearly a year, and executives are reportedly wondering what happens next with Leonard and the trade that sent him to the Toronto Raptors.
There’s a reason the subject has taken on so much weight. Since the investigation began last September, the situation has been unusual enough to grab attention on its own. The last time something like this came up was in 2000 with Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The latest round of reporting seemed like it might finally point toward a conclusion. Earlier this week, Shams Charania, Baxter Holmes, Ramona Shelburne, and Don Van Natta Jr. reported: “The NBA has found no evidence showing owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay to circumvent the salary cap.”
That report sent a jolt through the NBA world because it appeared to suggest the investigation had run its course and that Leonard’s trade to the Raptors would move forward as expected.
But the league pushed back quickly. NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass responded to ESPN’s article about Leonard and the ongoing investigation by saying it “contains numerous and significant inaccuracies.”
So even after the apparent breakthrough, the situation is still unsettled. What looked like a step toward clarity has landed the league right back in the same cloud of uncertainty that’s been hanging over this case from the start.
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