Earlier this season, many around the NBA believed the investigation into allegations that the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard used a no-show endorsement agreement with fintech company Aspiration to bypass salary cap rules would not result in major penalties, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
However, Amick reports that league sentiment has shifted in recent months. In the weeks leading up to the All-Star break, speculation reportedly grew “significantly” that “the NBA’s hammer is likely to fall” on the Clippers once the investigation is completed.
Some league observers assumed the NBA might delay announcing its findings until after All-Star Weekend to avoid overshadowing events held at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
Commissioner Adam Silver pushed back on that idea, stating the timing of the investigation has not been influenced by the league’s schedule and emphasizing that the inquiry is being handled independently by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
“I think, as I’ve said before, it’s enormously complex,” Silver said over the weekend.
“You have a company in bankruptcy (Aspiration). You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed. I will say, just in case anyone is wondering, the fact that All-Star is here (in L.A.) has had no impact on the timeline of the investigation. Our charge to the Wachtell law firm is (to) do the work and then come back and make recommendations to the league office, and that’s where things now stand.”
Clippers Notes: Aspiration Investigation, Mathurin, Jackson https://t.co/lffKR2GXqv pic.twitter.com/azWGNjupz0
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 20, 2026
