The Philadelphia 76ers are no strangers to NBA investigations. In recent years, they’ve faced scrutiny over James Harden’s contract situation, tampering allegations involving P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, and even Joel Embiid’s violation of the player participation policy, to name a few. None of those cases, however, come close to the potential fallout the LA Clippers could face if the latest report proves accurate.
On Tuesday, Pablo Torre dropped a new episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, revealing
details of a possible secret $28 million contract between the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard — completely off the team’s salary cap books. And the details are pretty wild.
I encourage you all to check out the full episode for all the insane details, but I’ll highlight the basics you need to know.
Torre’s investigation centers on a tree-planting green bank and brokerage called Aspiration, which claimed to “clear conscience and emissions.” On the surface, it looked like a feel-good cause, backed by high-profile investors such as Robert Downey Jr., Drake, Leonardo DiCaprio, and even Philadelphia fan favorite Doc Rivers. The company went on to raise an impressive $865 million and, by 2021, was valued at $2.3 billion with ambitions of going public.
But cracks soon began to show, and it became clear that things were not all sunny and green at Aspiration. In March 2025, Joseph Sanberg, the co-founder of Aspiration Partners, was arrested for conspiring to defraud an investment fund of at least $145 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Just weeks after his arrest, Aspiration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
As with any bankruptcy filing, especially one of this scale, there is a mountain of paperwork involved. Among those filings was a detailed list of investors and creditors still owed money. Keep in mind, this document had never been made public until now. The list includes Steve Ballmer’s LA Clippers, along with KL2 Aspire LLC, a company to which Aspiration reportedly owes $7 million.
Torre also examined the public filings KL2 Aspire LLC submitted with California’s Secretary of State, which listed the manager or member as… you guessed it, Kawhi Leonard. As mentioned earlier, Aspiration heavily promoted its star-studded backers, even featuring some in advertisements. However, Leonard was completely absent from all marketing materials — there was no mention or reference to him anywhere.
Torre then reached out to dozens of former Aspiration employees seeking information about KL2 Aspire LLC. He eventually spoke with seven former employees who agreed to be interviewed, providing him with exclusive details about Leonard’s endorsement deal. The agreement, effective April 1, 2022, confirms that KL2 Aspire is indeed tied to Leonard. According to the contract, the company “desires that KL2 cause Leonard to provide the services necessary to promote and market the company as more particularly set forth” in the agreement. Under its terms, Aspiration would pay KL2 $28 million, spread across several installments or quarters.
Torre eventually convinced a key former employee from Aspiration’s finance department to go on record, provided their voice was altered for anonymity. The anonymous source stated that they were told, “These are major contracts and major players you need to be aware of,” and that the company had a “$28 million organic marketing sponsorship with Kawhi.” When asked about the deal, the source explained that it was essentially designed to “circumvent the [NBA’s] salary cap.” They also noted that Leonard’s agreement was the single largest sponsorship deal Aspiration had ever made, saying that “it completely eclipsed every other agreement.” According to the source, even if you combined every other celebrity endorsement — including those of Robert Downey Jr., Drake, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Doc Rivers — they would not have amounted to even a quarter of Kawhi Leonard’s deal.
Torre reached out to all parties involved for comment, including Leonard’s personal team. Leonard’s team did not meet Torre’s deadline, but the Clippers responded, stating: “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
Finally, the former Aspiration employee confirmed that Leonard’s agreement essentially allowed him to get paid without contractually having to do anything — and, in fact, he didn’t. The agreement stated basic asks that Leonard was expected to be available and participate in five organic comments, likes, or retweets as requested. True to Aspiration’s mission statement, Leonard participated in absolutely zero of these requirements.
Putting it in basic terms: he got paid $28 million for a no-show job.
Torre highlights even more details in his investigation, and I highly encourage everyone to check it out — it’s excellent journalism and impressive investigative work.
But what does this mean for the Clippers moving forward? For Kawhi Leonard? Or for the draft pick and swap currently held by your Philadelphia 76ers?
For the Clippers, this will likely trigger a full-fledged investigation by the NBA. The last time a team circumvented the salary cap was with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000, involving Joe Smith. David Stern, the NBA commissioner at the time, did not go lightly on the punishment: the team received a $3.5 million fine, had two contracts voided, and was stripped of five draft picks (two were later returned, but the penalties still hampered the team for nearly a decade).
For Leonard, there is a real possibility that his contract with the team could be voided. The NBA faces a difficult path ahead, as it will need to set a strong and clear precedent to prevent similar situations in the future. If the league issues only a slap on the wrist, it won’t deter other teams from attempting similar maneuvers.
As many of you know, the Sixers currently hold two assets from the LA Clippers: an unprotected 2028 draft pick and a future pick swap. In all previous investigations involving stripped draft picks, the NBA has never targeted assets owned by a different team. If any picks are stripped in this case, it will likely involve picks currently held by the Clippers or their future draft capital.
If Leonard’s contract is voided, it would certainly hurt the Clippers in the short term. While they have a deep roster, a relatively healthy Leonard is a game-changer in the highly competitive Western Conference. Without him, the team would likely be a play-in contender at best. Long-term, if draft capital is stripped, it would drastically reduce their chances of maintaining a competitive team. Many had pegged the Clippers as a potential destination for future stars, but without draft assets, they may be left hoping for a long shot — such as Giannis Antetokounmpo reaching free agency.
In short, this is a serious story with significant allegations that the NBA will need to examine in the near future. The ramifications could reshape the league landscape and potentially affect assets held by the Sixers in a positive way.
