Shortly after details of the Kawhi Leonard-Steve Ballmer controversy were disclosed, one insider suggested that any punishment from the league might end up helping the LA Clippers.On "The Carmichael Dave Show," insider Sam Amick explained that if Leonard is penalized, it could work in the Clippers' favor. He pointed out that while a fine to Ballmer would be inconsequential, the voiding of Leonard’s contract could free up a huge amount of the team's salary cap space."I had one person kind of sarcastically say to me, “Man, Steve’s going to win here. …" They were basically saying, “You’re going to void Kawhi’s contract, get all kinds of salary cap room.” The guy has barely played the last couple of years. Any fine you give Steve Ballmer is irrelevant,” Amick explained. When Kawhi Leonard is healthy, he's one of the most lethal two-way players in the NBA and capable of carrying a team to a championship. That's why the Clippers re-signed him to a three-year, $150 million extension in the summer of 2024. The problem is that he hasn't been consistently available. Since joining the Clippers in 2019, Leonard has played just 266 of 472 regular-season games, including 37 last year.As good as he's when he's on the court, his persistent injury woes make him unreliable. That's why some insiders believe the Clippers could be in a better position if they no longer need to pay Leonard the $50 million he's owed in the 2025-26 season.Instead, that money and cap space could be used to support a rebuild and bring in a player who can stay on the floor and help James Harden lead the team.Steve Ballmer denies involvement in Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration controversyEarlier this week, journalist Pablo Torre made shocking revelations when he alleged that Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers tried to bypass the NBA’s salary cap by arranging a $28 million endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard with the green investment firm Aspiration. The Clippers quickly pushed back, issuing a detailed statement denying the claims.Ballmer has stepped forward to address the situation, reiterating his team’s words. He insisted that the organization has abided by all of the league’s rules. Further, he mentioned that he's not involved in the endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration."The Clippers have abided by the salary cap circumvention rules because that's the right thing to do,” Ballmer told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne."Pablo's podcast I don't know anything about the court documents on this. I haven't seen them,” Ballmer continued. “The speculation is what it is. … They conned me. I made an investment in these guys. At this stage, I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi.”As of now, the league hasn't released a statement, nor has Commissioner Adam Silver announced any investigation. Kawhi Leonard’s camp has also been silent on the matter.