Clippers Face Federal Probe Over Kawhi Leonard Deals

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have opened a criminal investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' dealings with star forward Kawhi Leonard, according to a report by The New York Times citing two people familiar with the matter. The inquiry, being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, is in its earliest stages, and prosecutors have issued at least one subpoena. It remains unclear what potential crimes prosecutors are examining, whether the case will lead to criminal charges, or whether evidence will be presented to a grand jury. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment, and spokespeople for the Clippers and the NBA did not respond to requests for comment. The federal probe began before the NBA announced the results of its own yearlong investigation, which was conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and was initiated by podcast reporting roughly a year earlier. On September 2, the league announced sweeping penalties after finding that the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules involving Leonard.