Kawhi Leonard has emerged at the centre of attention after reports surfaced about an illicit $28 million deal with Steve Ballmer through a green investment firm called Aspiration. Pinehurst Resort, a four-time US Open host, poked fun at the situation by bringing back news of their own tree trouble from a few weeks ago.On Aug. 15, Pinehurst shared that one of its most iconic trees had fallen during a thunderstorm. In the same post, they explained that while the tree had to be removed, they weren’t bidding goodbye to it completely:“Wednesday morning following a thunderstorm, the iconic tree on the 13th hole of Pinehurst No. 2 fell down."Yesterday, the tree was removed from the area between 13 & 14 fairways. We have stored the wood away and plan to do something special with it in the future.”The golf course seized the moment to bring back their earlier tweet, jokingly asking Leonard if he’d like to join in on their plan to create something special from the fallen tree on the 13th hole.“Kawhi, a little help?,” Pinehurst replied to their three-week-old tweet.Pinehurst Resort @PinehurstResortLINKKawhi, a little help?According to journalist Pablo Torre, his findings claim that Leonard and Ballmer had arranged this endorsement deal designed to bypass the league’s salary cap rules. As confirmed by a former employee, Leonard was receiving $7 million a year for four years for a “no-show job.”Clippers release statement regarding Kawhi Leonard-Steve Ballmer controversyPablo Torre’s findings spread like wildfire, leaving the sports world in shock. The LA Clippers wasted no time in responding, releasing a detailed statement pushing back on the claims. The organization denied having any knowledge of Aspiration’s alleged scams or being tied to wrongdoing in Kawhi Leonard’s case.“Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap,” the statement began. “The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd."Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi's independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration," the statement continued. "To say otherwise is flat-out wrong."NBA commissioner Adam Silver has remained silent on the issue, and the league is yet to release a statement. Still, the Clippers commit to fully cooperating with the NBA and law enforcement if an investigation moves forward.