Clippers deny making moves because of pending investigation
Over the last several months, the LA Clippers have been under a lingering cloud due to an ongoing NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard and a California company with which he had an endorsement deal.
All that led to constant speculation that the Clippers are operating under the assumption that a massive punishment could be levied against the franchise once the investigation is complete.
The discussion ramped up another notch after the team traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac before last week’s trade deadline. However, the Clippers have publicly denied that notion.
“We haven’t learned anything more than we have in September,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of the investigation Monday via ESPN. “We know it’s out there, we know at some point there’ll be a decision made. We very much feel the same thing that we told you back in September, that we’re on the right side of this. It really doesn’t impact anything we do on a daily basis.”
The matter in question came to light after journalist Pablo Torre alleged that the Clippers violated the NBA’s salary cap rules through a $28 million endorsement contract with a California-based sustainability services company called Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC.
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The company is now bankrupt, and Leonard has denied any wrongdoing, stating he didn’t receive all the money he was owed. The Clippers have also denied breaking any league rules.
All that said, it’s difficult for the organization’s recent actions regarding the team’s roster to spark the rumor mill. Time will tell what transpires for the Clippers once the results of the investigation are known.
