Kawhi Leonard has officially turned the page on the most damaging scandal of the 2026 NBA offseason. Appearing at Toronto Raptors media day on September 28, the seven-time All-Star acknowledged that reporters were there for one reason - the NBA's blockbuster investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers - and made clear he intends to leave it behind. "I'm excited to be here," Leonard said. "I know why some of you guys came. You want to hear about the investigation. But talking with the NBA and the Players Association, I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor."
The year-long probe concluded earlier this month with some of the harshest penalties in league history. An independent investigation, conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found that the Clippers violated the league's salary-cap circumvention rules by arranging off-court income opportunities for Leonard through four different companies that also did business with the team. The punishment was staggering: the franchise was stripped of five first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033, fined $30 million, and saw its leadership hollowed out.
Owner and chairman Steve Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for one year. Gillian Zucker, the team's president of business operations, received a one-year suspension, and Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations, was suspended for six months. Leonard himself avoided a suspension but was fined $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits, while his uncle and former business adviser, Dennis Robertson, was banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years. Ballmer initially had the team say it "vehemently rejected" the findings, but he later issued a statement expressing "sincere regrets," apologizing to fans and confirming the franchise had paid the fine and would comply.
The scandal began a year ago when journalist Pablo Torre reported that Leonard had received compensation reportedly as high as $28 million from Aspiration, a now-defunct financial institution with close ties to Ballmer, for an endorsement deal that appeared to require little or no actual work. The NBA's investigation uncovered a pattern of misconduct involving multiple companies. The controversy also attracted the attention of federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission, both of which opened their own investigations into the Clippers.
Amid the fallout, the Clippers traded Leonard back to Toronto this offseason. The Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two future first-round draft picks, one first-round pick swap, and two future second-round picks to Los Angeles. The deal, agreed in June, was put on hold while the investigation played out and was formally approved by the league only after the ruling landed. Toronto then signed Leonard to a two-year, $115 million contract with a player option for the 2028-29 season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters following the Board of Governors meetings that the discipline is "final" and that he does not expect further sanctions. Leonard, who averaged a career-high 27.9 points last season and finished seventh in MVP voting, said the saga was "already a distraction for the past 70 days" and declined to discuss his former team further. For the Raptors, his return carries symmetry: he led the franchise to its only championship in 2019 before leaving for Los Angeles. For the Clippers, the road back from the largest salary-cap penalty in league history has only just begun.