What's next in Kawhi, Clippers investigation?
Chris Mannix gives his reaction to the latest developments in the NBA's investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers after the league disputed a report about its findings.
What's next in Kawhi, Clippers investigation? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Video Transcript
All right, so let's dive into the latest reporting on the now 11-month saga of the alleged cap circumvention case involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
This week, ESPN came out with a report that said the NBA has found no evidence, that the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Kawhi Leonard.
This is in connection to the allegations that the Clippers funneled $28 million to Leonard through a now-defunct green bank and deals with two companies, Daktronics and Boingo Wireless, all of which the Clippers have denied.
Instead, the NBA is reportedly focused on whether or not the team introduced Leonard to team sponsors and whether that constituted a violation of the league's rules prohibiting cap circumvention.
The NBA, they turned around and responded with a statement that said, quote, "ESPN's article regarding the LA Clippers investigation, for which the NBA declined to cooperate, contains numerous and significant inaccuracies.
The result in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded."
So, a couple of reactions here.
I have been asking the NBA for comment on stories for two decades.
This is as strongly worded a statement that I have seen from the league.
This is the NBA saying that the story is wrong.
What it does not say is how the story is wrong.
I have talked to people in the league office over the last couple of days, and the message that I have been getting is that they are not going to be rushed into any public statements or tied to any public statements until this investigation is complete.
Adam Silver made it clear at Summer League that the investigation needs to wrap up, and he was optimistic that it could happen, this summer.
This statement is the league saying that, "Hey, we're not done, and we have made no conclusions."
It, it does, it does, though, put a lot of pressure on the league to show how the story is wrong.
The statement used the phrase significant inaccuracies.
To me, that means substantive inaccuracies.
That doesn't mean dates or figures.
That means something real here.
How real?
What did the story get wrong?
The NBA needs to come up with a real answer for that.
It can't just be that they didn't like the timing of this or they didn't like the way it was framed.
Saying there are significant inaccuracies mean there are significant inaccuracies, and the league needs to, needs to talk about that.
The other part of the story that I found interesting, the report says that the league has, or the league did present its initial findings to the Clippers in late July, and that there have been discussions between lawyers for the Clippers and the league about finding a resolution.
Now, an agreement between both sides is widely regarded as the best-case scenario here.
No lawsuits, no arbitration, no mess that could play out for months, even years.
The league does not want to devote, even more time to fighting one of the richest men in the world and the richest owner in the NBA.
They don't wanna do it.
So finding a resolution is optimal.
But finding that resolution is a real challenge.
I mean, the Clippers have been very public in saying they did nothing wrong.
Even after the story came out, they, they denied even the, the, the suggestion that they could have violated league rules with introducing Kawhi and his team to sponsors.
But there is a pile of evidence out there reported on by someone that won a Pulitzer Prize for this reporting that suggests that they did.
So the question is, is there a punishment severe enough that the Clippers will accept, that the rest of the league will accept?
And I'm talking about the 29 other teams right now because they are the audience on any punishment for the NBA.
I have had several high-ranking team officials tell me throughout this process that if the Clippers get what amounts to a slap on the wrist, it is probably going to be open season on stuff like this.
If the worst punishment you get for cap circumvention is a fine and maybe docked a couple of second-round picks, then the risk is worth the reward of potentially landing a marquee player like Kawhi Leonard.
Can they find that common ground here?
That's the question over the next few weeks, and I guess even months.
I don't know.
I think both sides really wanna find a resolution, but I also think finding it is going to be very, very tough.
