The NBA is challenging assertions in a recent ESPN report regarding its probe into Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer. According to the ESPN article released on Monday, three sources indicated that the NBA did not discover any proof of Ballmer using team sponsors to compensate Kawhi Leonard covertly and surpass the salary cap.
The report suggested that instead of focusing on financial transactions, the NBA is examining whether the Clippers’ promotion of Leonard to sponsors breaches the league’s regulations against circumventing the salary cap. Responding to this, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass dismissed the ESPN article as containing numerous inaccuracies in a statement issued on Monday afternoon.
Bass clarified that the outcomes of the NBA’s inquiry will be disclosed upon completion. Meanwhile, a trade deal involving Leonard between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors has been halted pending the league’s potential disciplinary actions.
