NBA commissioner Adam Silver offered a vague timeframe for the conclusion of the investigation involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, only saying Tuesday it shouldn’t linger into the fall.
“My timeline remains this summer,” Silver told reporters. ” … We all have an interest in wrapping this up. I most recently said in an interview that I’m hopeful that it will wrap up this summer, so that will continue to be the goal here.”
The Toronto Raptors agreed to acquire Leonard from the Clippers at the end of June, but the teams put their trade on hold while an independent firm probes the latter two. The Raptors would inherit potential penalty risks if they trade for Leonard before the inquiry closes.
“The league did not pause the trade,” Silver said. “The parties to the trade made a decision not to go forward given that the investigation remained open.”
The NBA hired law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in September to review whether the Clippers set up a bad-faith, big-money sponsorship for Leonard as a way of circumventing the salary cap. The company in question, Aspiration, is no longer in business and co-founder Joseph Sanberg was ordered to serve 14 years in federal prison for using it to commit fraud. Aspiration was said to be a tree-planting organization.
Meanwhile, The Athletic reported Tuesday afternoon that the firm opened an examination of a second Leonard sponsorship deal with a different company.
Silver said at the onset of the NBA Finals in early June that the investigation shouldn’t take much longer.
Leonard attended a Raptors game at Summer League in Las Vegas, a sign that he expects to wear a Toronto uniform next season.
