The NBA is investigating a second sponsorship deal involving Kawhi Leonard, as part of its ongoing probe into the player's no-work deal with Aspiration.

What happened?

The investigation, which has been ongoing for 11 months, has grown in scope since it began. Wachtell Lipton, the league's go-to law firm, has inspected whether the LA Clippers circumvented the NBA salary cap by facilitating a sponsorship deal for Leonard with Aspiration. The firm has also looked into whether the Clippers improperly covered expenses for Leonard but were not reimbursed for them.

Why it matters for Kawhi Leonard

The investigation has brought the player and team in the middle of it to a standstill. The Raptors paused a trade to bring Leonard back after the league informed them that they would bear the risk of any punishment resulting from the investigation if they acquire Leonard.

What comes next?

The NBA has offered no inkling of where the investigation is headed. Some team executives around the league have increasingly come to expect that the league will punish the Clippers. The Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer have vehemently denied any wrongdoing, with Ballmer saying he was the victim of fraud and one of many who lost money in a company that went bankrupt and saw its co-founder plead guilty to federal fraud charges.

The origin of the investigation remains Leonard's contract with Aspiration, for which he was to be paid $28 million until the company ran into financial issues and ultimately filed for bankruptcy. Leonard never publicly promoted the company. Former Aspiration employees who have spoken anonymously with The Athletic over the last 10 months still do not know definitively if the deal was intended to bypass the cap.

The investigation's impact on Kawhi Leonard

The investigation has been a source of intrigue and frustration around the NBA this season. The delay in the trade to bring Leonard back to the Raptors shows how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers.

What's next for Kawhi Leonard?

The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, said last month that he hoped the investigation would wrap up soon. However, the league has offered no inkling of where the investigation is headed. The investigation has been ongoing for 11 months, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.

The investigation has been a source of frustration for Kawhi Leonard, who has been in limbo for months. The delay in the trade to bring him back to the Raptors shows how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers.

The investigation's impact on the NBA

The investigation has been a source of intrigue and frustration around the NBA this season. The delay in the trade to bring Leonard back to the Raptors shows how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers.

The investigation has been ongoing for 11 months, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be. The NBA has offered no inkling of where the investigation is headed, leaving many to wonder what the future holds for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

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