Shocking scandal! The contract is invalid? The free market bomb?

A major revelation made the already stormy Los Angeles Clippers stand at the forefront again.

well-known journalist Pablo Torre reported that the Clippers may circumvent the NBA's salary cap by arranging Leonard to sign a 28 million ghost endorsement contract with an environmental protection company.

In the face of external doubts, the Clippers immediately denied any improper behavior. "The Athletic" reporter Sam Amik said to the team executive: "This endorsement agreement does not exist at all." Clippers boss Ballmer also said in an interview with ESPN reporter Ramona, he also said that he knew nothing about the details of the endorsement contract.

When a team's core contract is exposed to be in gray space, and the management is hesitating, it is inevitable that people will doubt that things are not as simple as they appear. The NBA is also conducting investigations in a intensive manner, but the biggest question is: Is Aspiration considered a team affiliated organization defined by the league?

If identified as an affiliate, the Clippers may be deprived of a first-round pick. The more serious consequence is that the league has the right to directly cancel Leonard's contract.

This may sound too serious, but the NBA is not without precedent. In 2000, Timberwolves forward Joe Smith was directly cancelled by then-President David Stern for evading the contract privately, and even revoked his agreement for two previous seasons, causing the Timberwolves to lose the Bird clause.

And if Leonard's contract is also voided, it will undoubtedly be a disastrous blow to the Clippers.

The Clippers' current salary is as high as 194.7 million, of which Leonard alone accounts for 50 million. Once the contract is invalidated, their salary will immediately drop to 10 million less than the salary cap, and they will directly make a vacant space.

Theoretically, the Clippers can try to re-sign Leonard with this part of the space. But the question is: if the contract is sentenced to invalidation, there is great uncertainty about whether he can still play for the Clippers this season.

Joe Smith, who was previously forced to choose between "staying in the Timberwolves but missing for a year" and "signing other teams to play the season". And if Leonard is in the same situation, he will instantly become the hottest free agent on the market.

So, the problem arises. Once such a situation occurs, who can become the dark horse team to intercept Ju Leonard?

Currently, only the Nets have enough salary space in the league to provide Leonard with a contract of up to 22.6 million. In contrast, most of the other teams can only give middle-class special cases.

The Nets are rich but not strong, and even if they get Leonard, it will be difficult to become a championship team immediately; the Nuggets' salary is tight, but if they can make room through transactions, they will naturally be willing to make room for Leonard; the Heat are used to big moves, and may make free up their salary through transactions and create a championship lineup; the Thunder are the most terrifying potential buyers, and young talents and operation space coexist. If Leonard joins in a short time, the Thunder will instantly become a favorite to the championship; if the Warriors abandon Kuminga, they may be able to make room.

From this perspective, it is obvious that once Leonard flows into the market, it will inevitably trigger a battle to grab people.

But for the Clippers, losing Leonard is not only a loss of current combat power, but will also disrupt their long-term team building plan.

In 2026, the Clippers' plan is to focus on Leonard + Harden, who has 42.3 million player options. Unless the Clippers can find another suitable partner, it is entirely possible that he will reject the player options.

In addition to Harden, the Clippers have team options for Bogdanovic (16 million), Lopez (9.2 million), Batum (5.9 million) and Kobe Brown (4.8 million). Their only fully guaranteed contracts in the 2026-27 season are Zubac (19.6 million), Jones Jr. (10.5 million) and Niedhauser.

If the Clippers want to renew Leonard next offseason, they either give up most of the team options or convince Harden to give up the player option for a lower salary renewal. But at present, if Leonard really leaves, then Harden is more likely to choose the latter.

More importantly, if the NBA finally determines that the Clippers have evaded the salary cap, then the team will not only lose their draft picks, but will also be labeled as illegal operations. This is definitely a heavy blow for a team that has just moved into a new stadium and needs to enhance its market influence.

At present, the NBA has not released the final investigation results. But what is certain is that no matter the final punishment is serious, this incident has made the entire Clippers team nervous. If Leonard's contract is really cancelled, it will directly change the fate of the Clippers and will be a shot of a heart-warming agent that will completely disrupt the free market in the 2025-26 season.

Who can sign Leonard then? Can he be the puzzle for another team to win the championship? And how should the Clippers save themselves?

All of this may only be revealed after the alliance investigation results are released. What is certain is that a chaotic grenade has been quietly buried before the new season.