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It’s not just the salary cap circumvention allegations surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers that has escalated with Pablo Torre’s newest revelation. The team and the player in the middle of it have drawn severe condemnation from sports analysts too. After Shannon Sharpe and his Nightcap crew, even Stephen A. Smith is calling for historic league discipline on Kawhi Leonard as much as Steve Ballmer.

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Following new reports detailing a second undisclosed, multimillion-dollar corporate arrangement involving the star forward, Smith was on First Take, outraged over the deepening scandal. While adding a disclaimer that he admired Ballmer’s contribution to the league, he argued that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver must take drastic action.

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“Clippers in a world of trouble. And I want to say this: it hurts me because I’m a fan of Steve Ballmer,” Smith said on Friday. “This is egregious if it’s true. If it’s true, we’re talking about banishment for Steve Ballmer as far as I’m concerned for at least a year. We’re talking about, and it should be entertained that Kawhi Leonard should be banned for a year. Yeah, he just took the money, but damn that.”

Smith emphasized the severity of the latest discovery, which turns this from an isolated incident into a pattern of bypassing league rules.

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“You know, the deal with Aspiration, all right, that’s a green banking company. That’s at the center of the NBA investigation going on. Now to learn that you might have had another sponsorship deal worth millions of dollars with Daktronics,” Smith continued.

“So, you had not one but a couple of companies funneling money to you to circumvent the salary cap where you getting this money, but you also getting these additional dollars on the side illegally because according to NBA bylaws, you ain’t supposed to be doing this. No, you can’t go for that.”

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For Smith, the combination of multiple off-book pipeline deals demands an unprecedented hammer from the league office.

“But if he did this, if this happened, this is really, really bad. And I believe that Adam Silver is going to have to come down with a heavy hand. And I’m talking about banishment for at least a year for both the owner and the player… I’m talking about confiscation of draft picks. I’m talking about banishment for at least a year. I’m talking about sending a kind of message where no player nor any owner would even think about doing this again. That cannot happen if this is true.”

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The latest fallout comes after investigative reporter Pablo Torre revealed a second undisclosed agreement between Kawhi Leonard and Daktronics, the manufacturer of the Intuit Dome’s $100 million “Halo Board.”

As it’s a B2B company, it had no need for celebrity spokespersons. This was allegedly another ‘no-show’ contract, which sources within the Clippers and Daktronics organizations allege functioned as a backdoor channel to funnel extra money to Leonard.

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The revelation comes amid an ongoing formal inquiry led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which was originally hired by the NBA to investigate a $28 million “no-show” endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration, a green-tech firm heavily backed by Ballmer.

The expanding probe has already impacted transactions across the league, stalling Leonard’s trade to the Toronto Raptors.

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Whether the Daktronics deal is investigated too remains to be seen. Silver is yet to issue a statement on it.

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Caroline John

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Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, specializing in league comparables. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Communication and brings eight years of experience to the sports desk. Caroline made a mark in NBA media by covering the life of Shaquille O’Neal, which led to an exclusive interview with Josh Halpern, CEO of Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise. Her coverage was also personally highlighted by Shaq, who shared her article about his DJ Diesel persona and rapper GAWNE on Instagram. Drawn to the philanthropic work of LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, Caroline started following the NBA for its character both on and off the court, and has since become a respected voice covering many of the league’s biggest names. Her reporting stands out for accuracy, recognition from industry figures, and a strong connection with readers. Away from sports, Caroline is an avid reader, finding equal passion in books and storytelling.

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Tanay Sahai

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