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Bulletproof evidence or full agreement on the findings and proposed settlement are the two paths to a faster conclusion. NBPA executive director David Kelly stated in the ESPN report that none of what he’s seen thus far from Wachtell Lipton’s findings is worthy of punishment, but we have no idea what he’s actually seen. There is a growing belief now, with reporting that the investigation is in fact over and the league is sifting through its findings, that the main delay will now stem from trying to find a punishment Ballmer will accept. At the end of the day, this is the richest owner in the league and the estimated third-richest owner in all of sports, and Silver will want to maintain that relationship.
NBABase: Steve Ballmer is expected to aggressively fight the NBA legally if penalties are levied against him in the Kawhi Leonard investigation, per @VinceGoodwill "Steve Ballmer can lawyer up as well as anybody."
Mike Vorkunov: The investigation, I think is over. Now, the NBA is kind of like sifting through what the law firm they hired has found deciding, you know, whether there's a punishment or not that it then wants to levy, and the the process forward is like a little bit complicated. They can maybe reach a settlement if they feel like there's a punishment and something to do there with the Clippers and Steve Ballmer, and you know, the NBPA will get involved, and obviously Kawhi Leonard if there's something there for him, too. But, the CBA says the process is you almost go to like a trial, right? You present your case, so to speak, to a system arbitrator who then rules if the charges that uh or that the punishment that you want to levy, if there's punishment to levy, will stick and if it makes sense. And so, that can make things go longer. And then, there's an appeals process that's also written into the CBA. So, that can make the process go even longer, right? So, there's a bit of a known unknown here coming up.
Seemingly, the only pathways to an expeditious resolution are if the investigation produces no evidence of wrongdoing — can you imagine if, after all this time, Wachtell comes back and says, “We got nothing?” — or if Steve Ballmer and the Clippers basically “plea bargain” to certain penalties and don’t go through the remaining steps of the process. So how does this get resolved? And can the Clippers and Raptors get their Leonard trade to the finish line before the season starts? It certainly seems at least possible that we have a limbo situation where Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick are still technically Raptors when training camp starts in October, and Leonard is still technically a Clipper.
Marc J. Spears: "I think the assumption is that the Clippers are fearful of what is to come, but I am hearing that they want to get this done, that they feel like Steve Ballmer was a victim, that he is going to be innocent. We will see. But they are eager to get this done, and there is deeper than the Clippers. There are so many teams, players. "
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Ballmer has previously sat for an interview with the Wachtell lawyers, and the Clippers owner met with them again last week in New York City in what sources with knowledge of the matter said was probably one of the final steps of the investigation.
Silver declined to provide details on how or when teams such as the Raptors were informed about the associated risks of acquiring him. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said the NBA did not communicate with the Clippers in advance about the matter because they never requested guidance from the league office.
While the LA Clippers, Leonard and now the Raptors all wait for a conclusion, the investigation has grown in scope since it began, according to multiple sources who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely. Not only has Wachtell Lipton, the league’s go-to law firm hired to conduct the inquiry, inspected if the Clippers circumvented the NBA salary cap by facilitating a sponsorship deal for Leonard with Aspiration, it has also looked into whether the Clippers improperly covered expenses for Leonard but were not reimbursed for them, those sources said. And the firm has examined if Leonard had a previously unreported endorsement deal with another company, those sources said.
While a team source denied that the delay is an implication that Toronto fears or expects some penalty, it does show how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers.
Former Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny signed off on the contract with Leonard, though Sanberg brought the Clippers star in, multiple sources said. The sponsorship deal, sources said, was worth significantly more than the endorsement deals Aspiration reached with the musician Drake, who invested $4 million and received carbon credits, and actor Robert Downey Jr., who received less than $2 million in equity. Sanberg also gave Leonard $20 million in equity in the company, The Athletic reported in September.
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The deal with the Clippers and a relationship with Ballmer was driven by Sanberg, sources said. Ballmer had “a great relationship with Joe,” one former Aspiration executive said, beyond just sharing a dais together during a 2021 news conference that announced Aspiration as a jersey patch partner for the Clippers.
Connie and Steve Ballmer today announced that they are launching three independent, locally led philanthropies in Southeast Michigan, Los Angeles County, and Washington State. The organizations, called MoveUp Southeast Michigan, MoveUp LA, and MoveUp Washington, will operate independently from Ballmer Group and will be funded by the Ballmers to support their ongoing work, continuing a shared mission: improving economic mobility for kids and families. Ballmer Group team members currently working in each region will transition to the new organizations over the next year. The shift reflects a deliberate move toward community-based philanthropies grounded in deep local connection with teams embedded in the regions they serve.
But team sources continue to indicate he's the type of established wing talent they would pursue in a win-now maneuver, depending on the price point. The problem: League sources said Ballmer has maintained a firm stance against a Leonard trade, preferring to continue building around his star forward.