The Kawhi Leonard salary-cap saga picked up fresh urgency this week after a new report added a second alleged sponsorship deal to the pile.
On the Nightcap podcast, Shannon Sharpe and Joe “Iso Joe” Johnson walked through just how messy this could get for everyone involved, i.e., the Los Angeles Clippers, the Toronto Raptors, and Leonard himself.
Johnson & Sharpe Predict The Consequences If Evidence Holds Up
Sharpe opened by pointing out just how much of this story still hinges on one small word. “IF is the biggest word in the English language,” he said, arguing that everything that can happen, like Adam Silver’s response, any punishment, the fate of the Raptors trade, all of it depends on what the league’s investigators actually find.
“I hate to say it, but I kinda think there’s some truth to this,” said Johnson. “That probably could’ve been the dealbreaker, him not going to LA & coming to the Clippers.”
Johnson also echoed that same note of caution, like Sharpe, making it clear that the story hasn’t been confirmed even as it dominates conversation across the league.
“I hate that it’s kinda come in the forefront and we don’t really know if it’s true,” he said, acknowledging the uncertainty.
But he didn’t think that it would stop the league from acting if the allegations do check out, adding bluntly, “But they gonna punish Kawhi & the Clippers. It’s gonna be bad.”
Much of the conversation circled back to the Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer, one of the wealthiest owners in professional sports.
Sharpe pointed out that Ballmer paid four to five times what the previous NBA-record franchise sale had gone for, and that he had both the motive and the means to land a superstar.
Sharpe even raised the idea that the situation echoes an earlier controversy, citing the Joe Smith-Timberwolves case from decades ago, in which a similar under-the-table arrangement was eventually uncovered and punished.
However, the most consequential prediction came near the end of the discussion, when Johnson said he doesn’t believe the trade sending Leonard to Toronto will actually go through at this point and suggested the Clippers may not mind keeping him even if it falls apart.
Whether any of these predictions hold up depends entirely on where the league’s investigators land, but based on Thursday’s conversation, neither host expects a quiet resolution.
