Clippers scandal underscores failure of the Leonard era

Of all the stories to wake us from our offseason slumber, the one that did wasn't a surprising transaction, an eye-popping EuroBasket performance, or even an update on LeBron James' future. No, what captured the basketball world's attention this week was an investigation by "Pablo Torre Finds Out" that reported the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap when they re-signed Kawhi Leonard in 2021.

The Clippers are essentially implied to have given Leonard an extra $28 million - cap-hit free - by funneling it to him through an endorsement deal with a now-bankrupt eco-friendly bank and tree-planting company called Aspiration.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was an investor in the company, the agreement between Aspiration and Leonard stated the company would only pay him while he remained a member of the Clippers, and there's no indication Leonard ever actually did any promotion or work for the company. Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg also recently pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud.

The entire situation stinks to high heaven, and the NBA confirmed it's investigating. The Clippers said Wednesday that any assertion that Ballmer and the team circumvented the cap is "provably false." They'd better hope that's the case, because while the league has been mocked for how it handles free-agent tampering, it will bring the hammer down when it comes to cap circumvention. And the ramifications would be devastating.

The most infamous precedent is the Joe Smith scandal in Minnesota. The NBA determined that the Timberwolves had an under-the-table agreement with Smith, whose string of cheap one-year contracts was just a bridge to Bird rights and an already agreed-to long-term deal. Then-commissioner David Stern came down hard. Smith's contract was voided, the Wolves were fined $3.5 million, and Minnesota lost four first-round draft picks (originally five before one was returned).

Adam Silver may not strike fear into teams the way Stern once did, but he would surely make a similar example out of the Clippers if the reporting proves accurate. After all, what L.A. allegedly did is arguably worse: using a third party to funnel funds.

The Clippers already burned through draft picks to acquire Leonard and build competitive rosters around him, leaving themselves without control of their own first-rounder until 2030. Imagine the long-term damage to the franchise if its allegedly improper dealings rob it of another half-decade worth of picks.

From a basketball perspective, Smith was nothing more than a solid starter at the time Minnesota cheated to acquire him, whereas Leonard was already a Clipper and only two years removed from arguably being the best player on the planet. Even if both teams broke the rules, perhaps you could make a case that there was more honor in the Clippers doing it for a superstar's services.

Despite Leonard's otherworldly abilities, however, the Clippers barely have more to show for their troubles than the Timberwolves did a quarter-century ago. Since originally signing Leonard in 2019 - fresh off his second Finals MVP award - the Clippers have won just three playoff series, appeared in one conference finals, and never made the Finals at all. Even more embarrassingly, all those counters are at zero since the 2021 contract in question, with some of the team's most inspiring and exhilarating stretches of play coming while Leonard's been sidelined.

All this scandal has done is underscore how much of a failure the Leonard era has been in Los Angeles.

It's not necessarily anyone's fault; Leonard's health has been most of the problem. When the future Hall of Famer has been available, he's been excellent, but he's missed 44% of regular-season games and 30% of postseason contests during his Clippers tenure.

Then again, the Clippers knew all about Leonard's spotty injury history when they moved heaven, earth, and a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to secure his commitment (alongside Paul George) in 2019. Leonard also tore his ACL a few months before signing the 2021 max contract at the heart of this story. Has the last half-decade of Clippers basketball really been a case of bad luck, or is it better explained by poor planning and the sunk-cost fallacy?

In contrast to the fanfare of 2019 or the spectacle of recent years, the Clippers spent this summer quietly building arguably the deepest and most complete team of the Leonard era. Unfortunately, that squad might be forced to play in the shadow of a franchise-altering scandal instead of simply being haunted by the usual specter of Leonard's day-to-day availability.

It remains to be seen whether the NBA can confirm this reportedly shady arrangement. But the sad irony of this story is that the Clippers were already paying Leonard for what too often felt like a no-show job, and they didn't have to circumvent the salary cap to do it.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.