RealGM Basketball Wiretap

23 April 2026

• Aspiration Founder Cooperated With NBA's Kawhi Leonard Salary Cap Investigation

  Joseph Sanberg, the Aspiration co-founder facing federal sentencing April 27, provided substantial cooperation to the NBA's ongoing salary cap circumvention investigation involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, the league's lead investigator confirmed in a court letter.

  David Anders of Wachtell Lipton stated in an April 17 filing that Sanberg sat for two in-person interviews, supplied relevant documents, and delivered information consistent with the league's broader review of evidence.

  "Mr. Sanberg's cooperation substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events," Anders wrote.

  The NBA launched its probe in September 2025 following reports that Leonard's $28 million Aspiration sponsorship was structured to circumvent the salary cap. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had invested $50 million in the company in 2021, with the club separately announcing a $300 million, 23-year sponsorship agreement. Ballmer made an additional $10 million investment in March 2023.

  Sanberg previously pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, with prosecutors alleging he defrauded investors of $248 million. Each count carries a maximum 20-year sentence. His attorneys are seeking leniency, describing him as motivated by purpose rather than personal gain.

  In a separate court letter, Ballmer's attorney stated the Clippers owner lost his entire $60 million Aspiration investment after the company declared bankruptcy in 2025, and has suffered extensive reputational damage. The Clippers lost nearly all $300 million in sponsorship payments and more than $20 million held in escrow.

  Ballmer has additionally been named in a civil lawsuit by 11 former Aspiration investors. He has denied all allegations and sought dismissal of the case.

• Warriors Discussed Ivica Zubac Trade With Clippers

  The Golden State Warriors were one of the teams that discussed an Ivica Zubac trade with the Los Angeles Clippers before he was eventually traded to the Indiana Pacers.

  The Pacers acquired Zubac from the Clippers for Bennedict Mathurin, a top-4 protected 2026 draft pick and a 2029 unprotected first rounder.

  Zubac is signed through the 2027-28 season with his three-year, $58.6 million extension signed in 2024.

  The Warriors also discussed a trade with the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard.

• Steve Ballmer Rejected Warriors' Pursuit Of Kawhi Leonard At Trade Deadline

  The Golden State Warriors made a serious push to acquire Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard before the February trade deadline, only to receive a firm rejection from Clippers governor Steve Ballmer, league sources told ESPN.

  The Warriors had contacted the Clippers about Leonard's availability several times over the years, each time getting quickly turned away. This time, however, Los Angeles had signaled a potential shift in direction after trading James Harden and engaging multiple teams in discussions that ultimately produced a deal with the Indiana Pacers for Ivica Zubac.

  Golden State's offer reportedly included substantial draft capital and multiple valued players. The Clippers brought the proposal to Ballmer, but the answer was no by the morning of the trade deadline.

  Accounts of how advanced the talks became differ sharply between the two organizations. Warriors personnel believed the Clippers were genuinely weighing the concept. On the Los Angeles side, Ballmer's rejection was described as unwavering.

  The Leonard pursuit was part of a broader pattern for Golden State. Over the past two seasons, the Warriors also sought LeBron James, Paul George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo in efforts to build a championship contender around Stephen Curry.

  The same deadline period also had the Warriors navigate the Jonathan Kuminga standoff, which concluded with Golden State dealing him for Kristaps Porzingis.

  Sources indicate the Warriors plan to revisit Leonard's availability this offseason, submit a fresh offer for Antetokounmpo and explore the free agent market for LeBron James. Golden State could also retain Porzingis below his current $30.7 million expiring contract or use him as a trade asset in a sign-and-trade for another prominent player.

  Leonard is on a $50.3 million expiring contract and declined to address his future with the Clippers when they were eliminated from the playoffs last week, including on a potential extension. The Clippers can offer a maximum of $126.1 million across those two seasons.

• Ty Lue To Remain Head Coach Of Clippers 'For A Long, Long Time'

  Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank stated Friday that the franchise never considered replacing Tyronn Lue as head coach, even during their 6-21 start to the 2025-26 season.

  "Even at our lowest point, when we were 6-21, there never ever was any consideration of Ty not being the coach," Frank said at his end-of-season news conference. "Ty's going to be the coach here for a long, long time."

  Lue guided the Clippers to a 42-40 final record before a fourth-quarter collapse against the Golden State Warriors ended their season in Wednesday's play-in tournament. Lue remains under contract through 2029 and is believed to be tied with Erik Spoelstra as the NBA's second highest paid head coach behind Steve Kerr.

  Frank credited Lue's steadiness through a year that included significant midseason roster upheaval.

  "I thought Ty and the staff did an unbelievable job of, every day, showing up with a great spirit, and just kept at it," Frank said. "Ty's an incredible coach, an incredible partner. And one of the characteristics we look for, not just in staff, but also in players, are people who are driven to improve."

  Lue led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship, overcoming a 3-1 Finals deficit against the 73-win Warriors, before joining the Clippers as an assistant in 2019 and being elevated to head coach in 2020 to replace Doc Rivers. He guided Los Angeles to the franchise's only conference finals appearance in 2021.

  The Clippers have not won a playoff series in five consecutive seasons.

• Clippers Signal They Want To Keep Kawhi Leonard

  Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank publicly committed to building around Kawhi Leonard on Friday, days after the 34-year-old forward deflected questions about his own future following the team's play-in elimination.

  "Our plan is to win with Kawhi," Frank said at his end-of-season news conference. "At the appropriate time, we'll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we'd like to win with Kawhi."

  Leonard, who turns 35 in June, posted career-best scoring numbers this season at 27.9 points per game across 65 regular-season appearances, his second season with at least 60 games played since 2018-19. Despite the individual production, the Clippers missed the playoffs for the first time in a healthy Leonard season.

  Following Wednesday's play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors, Leonard offered little insight into his intentions.

  "Let me cry about this loss a little bit more," he said. "We'll have our discussions when that time comes."

  The Clippers executed significant roster moves at the trade deadline, sending James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and trading Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for a package that included Bennedict Mathurin, which were moves that raised questions about the franchise's direction. The Warriors also contacted the Clippers on a potential Leonard trade ahead of the deadline.

  Frank characterized the organization as competitive rather than rebuilding, pointing to 15 consecutive winning seasons, emerging young talent, draft capital and projected cap flexibility as evidence the Clippers remain positioned to contend.

  "As we build that bridge from competitive to contender, we've put ourselves in a very good position with emerging young players, draft capital and cap space going forward," Frank said.

  The Athletic reported this week that Garland and head coach Ty Lue are the only ones certain to return next season.

  An ongoing NBA investigation into Leonard's endorsement deal with now-bankrupt sponsor Aspiration also hung over the season. Frank maintained Friday that the probe had no bearing on operations and expressed full confidence in the organization's position.

  "If you know Steve [Ballmer] and know Steve's integrity, you know there's nothing to it," Frank said. "We believe and we're very confident we're on the right side of this."

• LeBron James Could Consider Lakers, Warriors, Cavaliers, Clippers In Free Agency

  LeBron James has acknowledged that he's nearing the end of his career as a basketball player. What that end will come is still unknown. Sources close to James said that he's still undecided about playing beyond this season or not.

  One thing for certain is that James will be a free agent this offseason. He could stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, although James' current team is prioritizing having up to $50 million in cap space, as well as three available first-round picks to offer in trades.

  If James chooses to leave the Lakers, he's expected to consider the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and possibly the LA Clippers. Each of those teams could face financial challenges with signing James, however.

  The Warriors are dancing around the tax aprons, but could free up enough wiggle room to offer James the Non-Taxpayer MLE of about $15 million. The Cavs situation is made difficult, as they are likely to be over the first apron, and potentially still near the second apron. That could leave them in position to offer James only the veteran minimum. The Clippers are viewed as the least-likely option, but it would allow the NBA's all-time leading scorer to stay in Los Angeles. The Clippers salary flexibility is highly dependent on what the team chooses to do with re-signing a handful of free agents this summer.

• Darius Garland, Ty Lue Only Members Of Clippers Certain To Return Next Season

  Tyronn Lue and Darius Garland are the only two confirmed pieces of the Los Angeles Clippers' future following their play-in elimination loss to the Golden State Warriors, as the franchise heads into an offseason clouded by roster uncertainty and an ongoing NBA investigation.

  Lue is under contract as head coach through 2029. Garland, acquired at the February trade deadline from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the James Harden deal, is signed through 2028. A league source told The Athletic that both will return next season.

  Kawhi Leonard has one year left on his contract, and the franchise must decide whether to extend him or pursue a trade. Another league source said the Clippers believe the NBA's investigation into an alleged salary cap circumvention scheme involving Leonard will not produce significant punishment and that his contract will not be voided.

  "I think we're going to be in the clear," Leonard said after Wednesday's loss. "I'm not stressing."

  The NBA draft lottery on May 10 looms as a pivotal date. If the Indiana Pacers' pick falls outside the top four, the Clippers would select fifth or sixth, a potential factor in whether Leonard and the club opt to run it back together.

  John Collins enters unrestricted free agency. Bennedict Mathurin, a restricted free agent, wants a starting role. Bradley Beal is expected to return from hip surgery but carries a player option. Veteran role players Nicolas Batum, Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanovic all carry team options the Clippers could decline.

  The franchise has now gone five straight seasons without a playoff series victory when they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021.

• Kawhi Leonard Defers On Clippers Future As Contract Extension Window Approaches

  Kawhi Leonard declined to address his future with the Los Angeles Clippers following Wednesday's season-ending play-in loss to Golden State, entering an offseason that carries significant uncertainty both contractually and legally.

  "Let me cry about this loss a little bit more," Leonard said when asked whether he could envision remaining in Los Angeles. "We'll have our discussions when that time comes."

  Leonard enters the final year of his contract next season and becomes eligible to sign a two-season extension the day after the NBA Finals. The Clippers can offer a maximum of $126.1 million across those two seasons.

  The offseason decision arrives against the backdrop of an ongoing NBA investigation into an endorsement deal Leonard signed with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt former team sponsor. Podcaster Pablo Torre reported before the season that former Aspiration employees believed the arrangement was structured to circumvent the salary cap.

  Leonard was measured when asked about the investigation's status Wednesday,

  "I never thought about it too much other than questions asked. You'll have to ask the NBA, not me. I'm not the one doing the investigation," Leonard said. "I think we're going to be in the clear. I'm not stressing it."

  Leonard's on-court performance this season was among the finest of his career. He averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game, appeared in 66 games and ranked in the top 10 in field goal percentage, 2-point percentage and 3-point percentage. Los Angeles outscored opponents by 7.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and was outscored by 6.9 with him off it.

  Wednesday's finale, however, exposed his limitations against a focused defensive scheme. Golden State devoted its game plan to neutralizing Leonard, who managed just one made shot over the final 16 minutes and committed five second-half turnovers, his most in any half since 2019.

  The Warriors were among teams that contacted the Clippers about Leonard's availability following February's James Harden trade, according to multiple sources. Those discussions are expected to resurface this summer.

  The Clippers showed resilience despite the midseason roster overhaul, becoming the first team in NBA history to finish 15 games over .500 after reaching 15 games under at an earlier point. Los Angeles closed the regular season 36-19, fourth best in the Western Conference over that stretch, after opening 6-21.

• 2026 NBA Play-In Snapshots (April 15): Warriors/Clippers, Sixers/Magic

  What happened in two snapshots in the NBA Play-In on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

• Stephen Curry, Draymond Green Lead Warriors To 126-121 Comeback Win Over Clippers

  Stephen Curry scored 35 points and Draymond Green neutralized Kawhi Leonard down the stretch as the Golden State Warriors rallied from 13 points down to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 Wednesday, surviving the NBA play-in tournament's first round.

  Curry, who returning last week from a 27-game absence due to a right knee injury, delivered 11 of his game-high total in the final 9:27. Green recorded two critical steals in the final 49 seconds, including a clean dribble strip of Leonard in isolation that sealed the outcome.

  "This is why Steph came back," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Everyone out there who thought Steph should take the rest of the year off - this is what he does. This is who he is."

  Green held Leonard to 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. According to Genius IQ, Green defended Leonard across 12 half-court possessions in the fourth quarter without surrendering a single shot attempt, the most such matchups against Leonard in a fourth quarter without allowing a shot by any defender since Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019.

  "Draymond, Hall of Fame defender," Leonard said. "It was hard to even get shots up."

  Kristaps Porzingis contributed an and-1 floater and a transition 3-pointer to keep Golden State within striking distance. Al Horford, 39, buried four fourth-quarter 3-pointers.

  Golden State entered as five-point underdogs after going 9-18 without Curry and losing starting wings Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody to season-ending knee injuries.

  "Most people would quit," Green said. "Especially when you're in a position like that."

  The Warriors now travel to face the Phoenix Suns on Friday in another elimination contest where they will be underdogs again. The winner claims the Western Conference's 8-seed and a first-round matchup against defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.