Overview

• The NBA has retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to probe whether an Aspiration endorsement for Kawhi Leonard violated salary‑cap rules, including a reported clause tying the deal to his Clippers tenure.
• The Toronto Star reports Leonard’s camp asked the Raptors in 2019 for at least $10 million annually in sponsorship income without appearances and for stakes in outside companies, requests the team rejected.
• Pablo Torre reported a four‑year, $28 million Aspiration deal that required little or no promotional work, and additional reporting says Leonard also received about $20 million in Aspiration stock.
• ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne says Aspiration offered nearly double Intuit’s $550 million for arena naming rights before the Clippers chose Intuit, as Steve Ballmer denies wrongdoing and says Aspiration “conned” him.
• The Clippers say neither the team nor Ballmer circumvented the cap, while potential penalties if violations are found include fines, draft‑pick forfeitures, voided contracts and suspensions.