NBA says Leonard-Clippers probe to finish this summer

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that he expects the league's long-running investigation into star forward Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers to conclude this summer, aiming for resolution before the start of the next season. The probe, which began in September 2025, has placed a major trade sending Leonard from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors on hold.

Silver made the comments during a press conference at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas following a meeting of the league's Board of Governors. He clarified that the league office did not formally pause the trade, but that the Clippers and Raptors mutually decided not to finalize it while the investigation remains open. "The league did not pause the trade," Silver said. "The parties to the trade made a decision not to go forward, given that the investigation remained open." He added that the teams were aware of the potential complications throughout the trade discussions.

The investigation centers on allegations of salary cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers. It initially focused on a reported $28 million "no-show" deal Leonard signed with the company Aspiration in 2022, with the Clippers...