NBA probe of Clippers cap breach may stretch into 2027

The NBA's investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the league's salary cap to pay star forward Kawhi Leonard could extend into 2027, potentially delaying a resolution and a major trade. The probe, which has been ongoing for nearly a year, centers on a $28 million endorsement deal Leonard signed with the now-bankrupt financial services company Aspiration, a former Clippers sponsor.

The league hired the New York law firm Wachtell Lipton to investigate the arrangement following reports that the deal required no actual endorsement work from Leonard and that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was an investor in Aspiration. The Clippers have consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that Ballmer and Leonard reached separate, legitimate agreements with the company and that Ballmer was defrauded. Aspiration's co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was sentenced last month to 14 years in prison on federal wire fraud charges.

According to sources, the investigation's timeline hinges on whether the involved parties can agree on the findings and any proposed settlement that includes punishing the team. If they cannot, the case is expected to head to a neutral arbitrator jointly...