It’s a wrap for the Los Angeles Clippers this season. The hopes and dreams of Kawhi Leonard and his squad were crushed by the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday courtesy of a 126-121 play-in loss.
The loss ended a turbulent, injury-riddled campaign for the Clippers, who were also going through the NBA’s ongoing investigation into Leonard’s Aspiration scandal.
Kawhi Leonard Addresses Aspiration Investigation After Clippers’ Season-Ending Loss
The Clippers are being investigated by the league regarding an alleged salary-cap circumvention through a $28 million endorsement deal with a bankrupt climate company, Aspiration.
After the final buzzer beater, Leonard was asked to comment on the investigation. He did not flinch and was confident in his response.
“You’ll have to ask the NBA, not me. I’m not the one doing the investigation,” he said. When pressed further on the outcome, he added, “I think we’re gonna be in the clear. I’m not stressing it.”
Kawhi on the Aspiration investigation:
“I think that we’re gonna be in the clear. I’m not stressing”
👀 @PabloTorre pic.twitter.com/i3HKXyzGEL
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 16, 2026
Leonard has been calm through this storm of an investigation. The public saga began in September 2025, centering on allegations that the Clippers funneled an additional $28 million to Leonard through a “no-show” endorsement deal with Aspiration.
Steve Ballmer, the Clippers owner, also invested $50 million into the now-bankrupt company.
Documents obtained by the media alleged that this arrangement served as disguised compensation to circumvent the NBA’s salary-cap rules, all tied to Leonard remaining with the franchise. The league had hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz to conduct the probe.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has said that there’s a lot of talk around the league about the NBA potentially voiding Leonard’s contract.
“I hear about it at every arena I go to, in all my conversations with league and team officials,” he said. “If it turns out that the league decides Kawhi’s contract is invalid because of how it all came together, it’s a major topic of discussion everywhere.”
However, as Tom Haberstroh recently explained, the league may not want to void Leonard’s contract because of the league-wide frenzy it would create.
“So maybe it’s a case where Adam Silver levies some sort of punishment, whether it’s forcing Kawhi Leonard’s contract to be invalidated, … but the interesting thing about that is it creates a conundrum where, if Kawhi Leonard is now a free agent, you’re going to see a frenzy for his services with the likes of the Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, or the New York Knicks,” Haberstroh said.
“They would try to go get Kawhi Leonard at this stage as a free agent. That, I think, would create more hysteria and chaos around the league than actually forcing the Clippers’ hands.”
It remains to be seen what the NBA’s investigation will turn up and how (or if) the Clippers will be punished. All along, the Clippers have stood their ground and repeatedly stated that they didn’t do anything wrong. And like Leonard, the franchise reportedly believes that the investigation won’t result in a significant punishment.
Leonard is currently signed to a three-year, $149.5 max contract; he has one year remaining on his deal worth $50,300,000.
