Details about the alleged Kawhi Leonard Aspiration saga continue to emerge. On Thursday, Pablo Torre reported that, as the environmental firm was going under at the end of 2022, Los Angeles Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong invested $2 million in Aspiration, which, in turn, paid the superstar $1.75 million. This scandal isn't going away — not anytime soon.
The NBA began an investigation several days ago, using the same firm that investigated the Donald Sterling allegations. How long will the investigation take?
Well, it could take even longer than you think (subscription required), with NBA insider Jake Fischer writing that there are estimates that "suggest the process could take the better part of the next year."
Fischer said that the Clippers will "very much start the season under a cloud."
Think about how distracting it is to a team when a player requests a trade during the season. It becomes a central talking point that doesn't subside until the player gets what they want, whether that be a trade or a payday. Now, imagine what it will be like for Los Angeles this season.
League's investigation into Kawhi-Clippers allegations could take a year
The Clippers are coming off their second consecutive 50-win season and their third straight trip to the playoffs. They were one win away from advancing to the second round this past season for the first time since 2021, but even Kawhi playing like his old self wasn't enough to knock off the Nuggets.
Before Torre's first podcast about the Kawhi allegations was released, fans were very hopeful about what Los Angeles could do next season. That feeling may still be there to an extent, but it'll be hard for the Clippers to shake the never-ending Kawhi/Aspiration conversations and questions that will follow them around. It will be a nightly thing.
Even if the league discovers that Steve Ballmer and Los Angeles didn't circumvent the salary cap for Kawhi, that doesn't mean the Clippers will walk away scot-free. There is a chance that LA could play through the full 82-game season, plus the playoffs, without a resolution.
Will it cause the Clippers to spiral?
The upcoming season could be the start of the end of the current version of the Clippers, regardless of what Adam Silver and the NBA find.