The NBA is no closer to wrapping up its investigation of whether the Los Angeles Clippers used salary cap circumvention to pay forward Kawhi Leonard.
According to ESPN.com, the probe could last well into 2027 if there is no agreement on what the investigation ultimately finds and whether any punishment could be forthcoming as a result.
That could be an issue for the Clippers and Leonard, as a proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors is on hold. The deal would have sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and draft pick swaps to Los Angeles for Leonard, who won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.
Apr 8, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after a missed basket in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said in a statement. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”
The investigation originally centered on reporting by journalist Pablo Torre, who looked into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC broke NBA rules.
Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two counts of wire fraud for what the Department of Justice said was a “multi-year scheme involving fake clients, sham payments, and deceptive loan collateral that caused at least $248 million in losses to numerous victims.”
Sanberg was sentenced in June to 14 years in prison, and Torre’s podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting.
New investigation of Leonard
Leonard is possibly involved in a new scandal after a new investigation conducted by Torre, WPRI-TV Target 12, a television station based in Providence, Rhode Island, and investigative news outlet Hunterbrook.
According to the report, Leonard, his uncle Dennis Robertson, and his former agent Mitch Frankel were minority investors in Rhode Island FC and its stadium project.
The project, located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, became Centreville Bank Stadium, a 10,500-seat facility on the Seekonk River, which received $110 million in public funds to help with construction costs. That plan included the development of new affordable housing, shops and restaurants around the stadium.
Not a single housing unit has been built so far since ground was broken in 2022 for the stadium and the other projects, although city officials said last month that they secured $30 million in investments through loans. Construction on the project is slated to start later this year and is expected to last three to four years.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA probe on Kawhi Leonard could drag into 2027. New incident pops up
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