09-10-2025, 10:35 AM
https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/09/nba...cumvention
Where Torre’s investigative report was based primarily on court records and interviews, the NBA can go much further. It can demand emails and texts from the Clippers, which is where any presumed smoking gun would be found. The league also can, and will, interview Clippers executives and any employees who could have knowledge of the matter.
The Clippers’ defense rests upon the assertion that they had no involvement in the contract between Aspiration and Leonard. The burden of proof would seem to be on the NBA to demonstrate the Clippers’ participation in the deal, not on the Clippers to prove their innocence. As we mentioned earlier, Silver is a lawyer by training. He has generally erred on the conservative side in prior investigations, acting only on the proof in front of him.
The NBA might not need a smoking gun. But given Silver’s record and temperament, he would surely prefer one before hammering the Clippers and Ballmer. Without direct evidence, the league could open itself up to a lawsuit. And if the NBA voided Leonard’s current contract (a three-year, $152 million deal), as it did with Smith, Leonard could challenge the ruling via the players association and the courts.
Where Torre’s investigative report was based primarily on court records and interviews, the NBA can go much further. It can demand emails and texts from the Clippers, which is where any presumed smoking gun would be found. The league also can, and will, interview Clippers executives and any employees who could have knowledge of the matter.
The Clippers’ defense rests upon the assertion that they had no involvement in the contract between Aspiration and Leonard. The burden of proof would seem to be on the NBA to demonstrate the Clippers’ participation in the deal, not on the Clippers to prove their innocence. As we mentioned earlier, Silver is a lawyer by training. He has generally erred on the conservative side in prior investigations, acting only on the proof in front of him.
The NBA might not need a smoking gun. But given Silver’s record and temperament, he would surely prefer one before hammering the Clippers and Ballmer. Without direct evidence, the league could open itself up to a lawsuit. And if the NBA voided Leonard’s current contract (a three-year, $152 million deal), as it did with Smith, Leonard could challenge the ruling via the players association and the courts.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.