"Should be punished as severely as possible" - Fans react to Kawhi Leonard getting $28 million endorsement deal to circumvent salary cap

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is under a lot of fire right now. According to sports journalist Pablo Torre, he may have signed a fraudulent agreement with the Clippers.

Torre, who conducted a seven-month investigation on this story, found out that Leonard got a $28 million endorsement deal with green company Aspiration, which was supposed to offset carbon emissions from its celebrity clients.

While there's nothing wrong or weird about that, his endorsement deal was deemed a "no-show job," as he didn't even have to share any posts or public comments about his endorsement. More worryingly, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in the company.

Needless to say, it didn't take long before this story went viral, with fans sharing their thoughts on X on Wednesday. Here are some of the best comments:

Ant

@GangCeltics

@TheDunkCentral @PabloTorre We just saw Adam silver rig a trade so that the lakers would get luka and mavs would draft cooper Flagg. He’s absolutely doing nothing about this lol

Tom Peppermint

@TomPeppermint

@TheDunkCentral @PabloTorre Based on Wolves history and the Joe Smith debacle, the Clippers should lose their next five 1st round picks.

Other fans weren't that shocked. If anything, they think this should happen more often:

Peeziey

@Peeziey

@TheDunkCentral @PabloTorre This is nasty. But this happens a lot more than people imagine. I think Gil mentioned how when he was gonna resign with the warriors they offered him less money than Washington but they closed the financial gap by throwing in homes, cars etc

“

@Embiitch

@TheDunkCentral @PabloTorre Only thing I’m wondering is why and how something like this doesn’t happen more often… like it’s an obvious loophole that SHOULD be exploited more often

Evan Guthrie

@EvanGuthrie

@TheDunkCentral @PabloTorre How many others have similar deals?

Torre claimed that a source within the company confirmed that the agreement was made to circumvent the salary cap, and it was agreed upon shortly after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension with the Clippers.

"We went through a litany of really, really top-tier name contracts," the employee told Torre. : And then, ‘Oh, by the way, we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi Leonard’ — and that if I had any questions about it, essentially don’t, because it was to circumvent the salary cap.”

Leonard and his camp were already under fire years ago when his uncle, Dennis Robertson, was accused of demanding perks and financial commitments that would go against the league's salary cap policy.

The NBA reportedly found no wrongdoing at the time but, per Torre's report, they vowed to reopen the investigation should any further developments come out.

Fast forward to today, and Aspiration, which was also expected to be a partner to make Intuit Dome a sustainable stadium, is facing legal turmoil after its co-founder pleaded guilty to defrauding investors.

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Will the league punish Kawhi Leonard?

From a basketball standpoint, Kawhi Leonard is still one of the best defensive players in the game. While he may not be the same two-way defensive force of all, he's still the centerpiece of the Clippers' project.

He's finally back to full strength and should face no limitations next season, and adding John Collins and Bradley Beal to the mix will take some of the offensive burden off his shoulders.

However, if this situation escalates, Kawhi Leonard might be subject to some sort of discipline. The league voided Joe Smith's contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves when they were found guilty of going around the salary cap to sign him, so this will be a situation to keep a close eye on.