Kawhi Leonard has named his dream NBA move if his Los Angeles Clippers contract was to be terminated.
Leonard finds himself at the heart of growing speculation regarding a potential breach of the NBA's pay regulations. Last week, the league launched an investigation into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser, LLC, amid claims that it was structured to circumvent NBA rules.
Journalist Pablo Torre reported that documents suggest Leonard was improperly paid through the arrangement. The Clippers franchise and their majority owner Steve Ballmer have denied any wrongdoing.
If the NBA find the Clippers violated league rules, one possible punishment could be the cancellation of Leonard's contract. And that scenario would make him immediately available to join another NBA team, sparking fresh speculation over where he may end up, with his high school year group offering potential hints.
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In the book, Leonard was asked a host of questions, such as his favourite food, his first concert and his birthplace.
When he was asked about his favourite sports team, he wrote the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jovic, won their first NBA Championship in the 2022-23 season, but have fallen short in the conference league semi-finals for the previous two years. Leonard also listed LeBron James as the greatest athlete that he has played against.
With James set to potentially enter his final year with the Los Angeles Lakers, it could provide Leonard with an opportunity for him to play with one of basketball's greatest players.
For now however, fans will have to wait for the outcome of the NBA investigation before any speculation can be confirmed.
The league commissioner Adam Silver stressed the importance of allowing the investigation to be conducted fairly.
He said: "We’re constantly learning in the league office and again, I’m reserving judgment because I don’t know the facts here I don’t know what Kawhi was paid. I don’t know what he did or didn’t do.
"We’ll leave all that for the investigation."
"I think as a matter of fundamental fairness, I would be reluctant to act if there was a mere appearance of impropriety.
"I think the goal of a full investigation is to find if there really was impropriety.
"I would want anybody else in the situation that Mr. Ballmer is in now or Kawhi Leonard for that matter, to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me."
Topics: Lebron James, NBA, Basketball
James Taylor