Pablo Torre 's exposé of the Los Angeles Clippers ' alleged salary cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard has led to an immediate investigation by the NBA. But it seems like there's more to come.
Torre revealed that certain "enemies" of Jalen Brunson have since been urging him to look into how the New York Knicks guard left more than $100 million on the table so that the organization can add more pieces around him.
"Well, look, how he arrived at the Knicks, this is where I have to defer to the reporting I may or may not do on this, certainly was interesting," he said. "Right? Like, O.K., that's a pretty good deal for the Knicks. Anyway, I don't want to get ahead of myself in terms of that. It's a little bit of a tease."
After the Knicks stole Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks by giving him a four-year $104 million deal in the summer of 2022, he signed a four-year $156.5 million extension in July 2024. Although that was the maximum amount he could get during that time, Brunson could have waited one more year to sign a five-year deal worth $270 million.
"It's kinda simple. I want to be here," he said on the "Roommates Show." "I want to show that actions speak louder than just talking about stuff. I want this team to be together for a long time. I want to win here. That's it."
Brunson taking a $113 million discount enabled the Knicks to re-sign forward OG Anunoby , trade for Brunson's college teammate Mikal Bridges and secure Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster deal that summer. As a result, the Knicks went on to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
While Brunson's selfless move continues to be lauded in New York, his critics have never fully grasped why a player would leave that much money on the negotiating table when all he had to do was wait another year. But the Leonard controversy hints there might be another explanation.
Leonard reportedly signed a $28 million endorsement deal with a tree-planting company named Aspiration, in which Clippers owner Steve Ballmer reportedly invested $50 million. However, this was allegedly a "no-show" contract, where he would earn the money without doing anything. When Torre asked a former employee of Aspiration, he was told that it was a bogus deal used to circumvent the NBA salary cap .
Almost immediately after the exposé, the NBA announced it would be conducting an investigation.
Although it's too early to tell, the NBA's inquiry could open a Pandora's box. With salary cap restrictions and now the second apron crippling teams' ability to sign or retain their stars, it's hard to believe that this is an isolated case.
In fact, 25 years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves were fined $3.5 million for giving Joe Smith an under-the-table deal. But could the Knicks and Brunson have done it as well? I guess we'll have to wait for Torre's next exposé to find out.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
