Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant didn’t catch the humor when a fan cracked a joke linking him to the Kawhi Leonard–LA Clippers controversy, where Leonard was allegedly paid through a fake tree company to bypass the NBA salary cap.During a livestream with creative director Shot By Nie, Morant joined in, and one fan told him to come work for their “tree company.” The comment was a jab at Aspiration, a bankrupt eco-banking startup accused of sponsoring Leonard in a way that allegedly skirted cap rules.“What kind of tree you talking about bro?” Morant responded.Leonard, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the franchise have since been under investigation for possible salary cap violations. The Athletic’s Pablo Torre revealed the team allegedly funneled $28 million to Leonard through a bogus endorsement deal.Ballmer, however, denied any wrongdoing, saying he only linked Leonard with Aspiration and wasn’t aware of the contract’s details.Morant is familiar with league probes himself, having served a long suspension over off-court incidents involving firearms. He has since leaned into that image, unveiling a grenade-throwing celebration during games.Clippers owner Steve Ballmer discusses Kawhi Leonard scandalSpeaking to ESPN, Steve Ballmer rejected the allegations and insisted that he would “want the league to investigate” if another team were accused of similar cap circumvention."Salary cap circumvention rules are important to the league, and I'd want the league to investigate," Ballmer said. "I'd want the league to investigate, take it seriously.”Ballmer also argued that he himself was deceived by Aspiration."These were guys who committed fraud. Look, they conned me. They conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi."Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban came to Ballmer’s defense, noting that the deal was struck in 2021, prior to the Intuit Dome’s launch and right when Leonard signed his $300 million contract. Cuban stressed that deals of that size with a new category sponsor required the NBA’s approval.According to Sam Amick, possible punishments include voiding Leonard’s contract with the Clippers, suspending team executives, fining staff members, and possibly penalizing Leonard himself.