Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, the league was wrapped up in multiple controversies. For one, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among those arrested for alleged involvement in gambling schemes. But in September, reporting from "Pablo Torre Finds Out" also revealed another scandal: potential cap circumvention by the Los Angeles Clippers involving Kawhi Leonard. Pablo Torre, a journalist and podcaster also previously known for his time at ESPN, revealed the details of the potential cap circumvention involving the company Aspiration — and now, the team at "Pablo Torre Finds Out" is being rewarded for that story with the most prestigious honor in journalism, a Pulitzer Prize.
Joey Linn: It’s disappointing to see the way some people are talking about Bones Hyland. He’s a very confident player, and probably could have handled a couple situations in his career differently, but he’s also misunderstood. I covered him for two seasons in LA, and he’s one of the hardest working players I’ve seen up-close. Also just a really kind person. Despite being out of the Clippers rotation, he was regularly the last player still working out after practice. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook were some of the vets who loved Bones and spoke highly of him. Seeing some really misinformed character attacks on a guy who’s generally well-liked around the NBA.
Similar to Durant, the Rockets won’t necessarily pigeonhole or wed themselves to one type of star, but desired additions such as the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid, among others, will be discussed, sources said, but fit, opportunity cost and price go hand in hand.
Oh No He Didn't: Lebron thanks RJ for the game winner lol "Haven't seen a shot in Toronto like that since Kawhi. Something about those rims. I'm happy"
Lebron thanks RJ for the game winner lol
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 2, 2026
"Haven't seen a shot in Toronto like that since Kawhi. Something about those rims. I'm happy" pic.twitter.com/kacCAKxJVl
Michael Grange: It's only Game 6 and 'just' the 1st round, and it took only one bounce. But RJ Barrett just hit the biggest 3 at Scotiabank since Kawhi needed four bounces to put the '19 Raps in the ECF. Huge moment for Mississauga Kid. Raps win 112-110 in OT, force G7 on Sunday in Cleveland.
Advertisement
It is important to note that the Clippers still have an ongoing league investigation hanging over the franchise. The Clippers were accused of circumventing the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard. If LA is found guilty of wrongdoing, penalties could include the loss of draft picks, significant fines and suspensions of team executives, including owner Steve Ballmer. -- Bobby Marks
There will be no shortage of fans and media who connect the dots and say Alperen Sengun could follow in Jalen Green’s steps as a young piece that gets sent away because he wasn’t ready to compete for a championship now. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a name many connect to Houston as a potential superstar who could be acquired in a Şengün trade. Kawhi Leonard or Donovan Mitchell could also be possibilities. If Houston makes Şengün available, along with some of the future draft picks they hold, it would put them squarely among the favorites to acquire any of the disgruntled superstars who may become available.
What’s the name that comes to mind that you feel like your game could be modeled the best if you get to that level? Jordan Smith: Kawhi Leonard. I may not be as tall as him, but I feel like our game is kind of similar.
David Anders, the Wachtell Lipton attorney leading the NBA's investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the league's salary cap to compensate Kawhi Leonard, said Sanberg sat for two in-person interviews and provided documents and, via his lawyers, "information that was relevant to our investigation," according to an April 17 letter to judge Stephen V. Wilson of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California.
In a five-page letter to the judge that was obtained by ESPN, an attorney for Ballmer said the Clippers owner lost his entire $60 million investment in Aspiration, which declared bankruptcy in 2025, and has faced "immeasurable" harm to his reputation. The Clippers also lost "virtually all of the $300 million sponsorship payments, and more than $20 million held in escrow for additional carbon offset purchases, which were never made and the money not returned," according to the letter, which a source with knowledge of the situation said had been filed in court.
Advertisement
Ballmer's attorney also wrote that Torre's reporting was a "vitriolic public campaign against Mr. Ballmer" and "principally based on anonymized gossip." In a statement to ESPN, Torre said, "Last month, Pablo Torre Finds Out published the federal whistleblower complaint, signed by two former Aspiration employees, which described how the Clippers allegedly used carbon credits 'to pay Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard an incentivized bonus to circumvent the NBA's salary cap, disguised as an organic marketing sponsorship agreement.'
New Balance executive Chris Davis: If you look at the NBA, I’m pretty sure we have seven or eight All-Stars, starting with Kawhi (Leonard) to Zach LaVine, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Dejounte Murray, Darius Garland, and then enter Cooper Flagg. In this year’s draft, we have Caleb Wilson, who is a star freshman from North Carolina and will be a top-five pick. And then as a senior in high school, we have Jordan Smith Jr., who’s the top recruit in the country going into the NCAA; he’s committed to Arkansas. So that’s what the basketball landscape looks like.
Some within the Warriors organization believe a Leonard trade was close. Others were skeptical. On the Clippers side, it was a steadfast no from Ballmer, who wields the ultimate hammer. Either way, sources said there's an expectation the Warriors could reengage the Clippers on Leonard's availability this offseason, compile another offer for Antetokounmpo and test the waters again on soon-to-be free agent LeBron James. They could also bring back Porzingis at a lower price than his $30.7 million expiring contract or negotiate a way to use him as a building block in a sign-and-trade for another big name.
