RealGM Basketball Wiretap

23 November 2025

• Kawhi Leonard To Return On Sunday At Cavaliers

  LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard plans to return to the lineup on Sunday at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Leonard has missed the Clippers last nine games with a sprained ankle and foot injury.

  LA is looking to snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon at the Charlotte Hornets. LA is 4-11 overall and has gone 1-8 without Leonard in the lineup this season.

  Leonard's season was off to a strong start before suffering the ankle and foot injury. The veteran forward averaged 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals while playing in the Clippers first six games.

• Chris Paul Announces He'll Retire Following This Season

  Veteran NBA guard Chris Paul announced that he'll retire following this season. Paul is currently playing his 21st NBA season with the LA Clippers.

  Paul played the first six years of his career with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. He was traded to the LA Clippers ahead of the 2011-12 season, where Paul would spend the next six seasons.

  Paul was then traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played for two seasons. That was followed by one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before being traded to the Phoenix Suns for three years. Paul then spent a season each with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, before returning to the Clippers for what will now be his final season.

  The veteran point guard posted "Back in NC!!! What a ride...Still so much left...GRATEFUL for this last one!!" on social media ahead of the Clippers game on Saturday at the Charlotte Hornets. Paul is a native of North Carolina and played for two seasons at Wake Forest before being the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

• Derrick Jones Jr. Out At Least 6 Weeks With Sprained MCL

  Derrick Jones Jr. was diagnosed with a sprained MCL and will be reevaluated in 6 weeks, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.

  Jones suffered the injury on Sunday against Boston.

  Jones had started all 13 games for the Clippers, averaging 10.9 points per game.

  The Clippers also still remain without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his seventh straight game with an ankle and foot sprain.

• Jerry West Text Messages Reveal Clippers' Back-Channel Negotiations For Kawhi Leonard

  Text messages between late Los Angeles Clippers consultant Jerry West and intermediary Johnny Wilkes reveal extensive back-channel communications during the team's pursuit of Kawhi Leonard in 2019, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. The messages show West coordinating with Wilkes, who had connections to Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson, in the days leading up to Leonard's free agency decision.

  Wilkes told West his services nudging Leonard to the Clippers would cost $2.5 million in a phone call days before the team's pitch meeting, according to his deposition. West denied agreeing to the payment in his own deposition.

  West texted Wilkes hours before the Clippers' July 2019 meeting with Leonard to express gratitude. The messages provide insight into the informal negotiations that preceded Leonard's decision.

  "Just wanted to thank you for your help," West wrote, according to messages viewed by The Post.

  Wilkes responded with advice for the pitch meeting: "Please tell everyone to pitch life after basketball to Kawhi. That's what he really wants to hear."

  West criticized the Lakers' pitch to Leonard in messages with Wilkes and suggested Leonard would play second fiddle to LeBron James in Los Angeles.

  "If he would go to the Lakers, he would be LeBron's caddy," West wrote.

  "F--- the Lakers," Wilkes responded. "This is between you and Toronto."

  West checked in with Wilkes multiple times after the initial meeting. On July 4, West asked about Leonard's timeline while noting he did not want to pressure Robertson.

  "When can we expect a decision," West asked. "Don't want to be a pest and frankly don't want to bother Dennis anymore, if you hear anything please let me know. Thank you for all your help."

  West relayed updates to owner Steve Ballmer throughout the process. Two days after that exchange, Leonard signed a three-year, $103.14 million contract with the Clippers.

  The allegations sparked an NBA investigation that concluded the Clippers did not violate league tampering rules. Wilkes said in his deposition he informed Robertson of his payment proposal and offered him a cut.

  Wilkes later sued the Clippers claiming they owed him money for his assistance. A judge dismissed the case, ruling Wilkes never formed a contract with the team.

• Kawhi Leonard Misses 5th Straight Game With 'Significant' Foot Sprain, Sprained Ankle

  Kawhi Leonard missed his fifth straight game for the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night due to a sprained ankle and a "significant" foot sprain.

  Leonard suffered both injuries against the Heat on November 3.

  "With Kawhi, it wasn't just an ankle sprain," president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. "He also had a significant sprain in his foot, as well. When he sprained his ankle, it kind of triggered a mechanism in his foot."

  The Clippers will have a clearer timetable for Leonard's return next week.

  Frank added that Leonard continues to do treatment to relieve inflammation.

  "Everyone has concurred in terms of what it is," Frank said. "It is just going to take a period of time to get the inflammation down and start to ramp back up on the court. So, he is doing two- to three-a-day treatments, and it is just going to take a little time."

  Leonard is averaging 24.3 points and 5.7 rebounds on the season.

• Bradley Beal Out For Season With Hip Surgery

  Bradley Beal has suffered a fractured hip and will undergo season-ending surgery. Beal joined the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option for Year 2.

  Beal appeared in six games with the Clippers, averaging 8.2 points and 1.7 assists in 20.2 minutes. Beal shot 37.5 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent on three-pointers.

  Beal has been limited to no more than 53 games in each of the past four seasons.

  "We met with numerous doctors and specialists around the country in collaboration with the entire Clippers medical staff over the last few days, and came to the decision unanimously that the surgery will allow Brad to have a full and complete recovery," said agent Mark Bartelstein.

• Kawhi Leonard Out For 'Next Few Games' Due To Sprained Ankle

  LA Clippers coach Ty Lue said that star forward Kawhi Leonard would miss "the next few games" due to a sprained right ankle. Lue didn't go into specifics on when Leonard would return, or how his recovery is going, beyond the "next few games" comment.

  Leonard missed his third consecutive game, all Clippers losses, on Saturday night. Leonard was injured last Monday during LA's home loss to the Miami Heat.

  The Clippers have two upcoming home games, before beginning a seven-game road trip at the end of the week.

• Steve Ballmer Sued By 11 Aspiration Investors

  Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been sued by 11 investors who allege he used a company to funnel millions of dollars to Kawhi Leonard. The investors claim Ballmer violated NBA salary cap rules to induce Leonard to re-sign with the Clippers.

  The lawsuit alleges Ballmer used Aspiration, now called Catona, to secretly channel funds to Leonard. The complaint states the payments were designed to circumvent the NBA's salary cap restrictions.

  The 11 plaintiffs are investors in Aspiration. They filed the lawsuit alleging fraud and claiming Ballmer was complicit in actions by company co-founder Joe Sanberg.

  "These funds would be channeled through [Aspiration] to Leonard so that Ballmer could induce Leonard to re-sign with the Clippers by covertly paying him more than allowed by the NBA's salary cap rules," the complaint states.

  The plaintiffs allege they would not have invested in Aspiration if Ballmer and Sanberg had disclosed the true nature of Ballmer's investment. They claim Ballmer transferred funds to keep the company afloat and secure Sanberg's cooperation.

  "Absent Ballmer's support, [Aspiration] could not have sustained the frauds set forth herein," the lawsuit states.

  Skip Miller, Los Angeles-based counsel for the plaintiffs and also an Aspiration investor, said the lawsuit seeks to recoup losses.

  "A lot of people have been hurt here," Miller said in a statement. "We look forward to our day in court where everything will be aired out and justice will be done."

  The complaint states the full extent of Ballmer's transfers to Aspiration and Sanberg will be determined in discovery. The plaintiffs allege Ballmer used the payments to buy Sanberg's support and silence about the alleged arrangement with Leonard.

• Clippers Decline 26-27 Rookie Scale Team Option For Kobe Brown

  The LA Clippers will decline the 2026-27 rookie scale team option for forward Kobe Brown. This was the fourth-year option for Brown.

  LA, or another team if they acquire Brown via trade, will be capped at paying the 6-foot-7 forward $4.8 million in first-year salary. This is because teams are capped at offering a player equal to the amount of the declined option.

  The Clippers could be looking at north of $70 million in potential cap space next offseason. LA has team options or partial/non-guaranteed contract for several players for the 2026-27 season.

• Ty Lue Says Chauncey Billups 'Confident About The Situation'

  Ty Lue said he spoke to Chauncey Billups since he was arrested following a federal investigation related to illegal sports betting and fraudulent poker games, and that Billups was hopeful over his situation.

  "I believe in Chauncey's character," said Lue before the Clippers played the Blazers on Sunday. "I know who he is as a person. I've been with him since I was 17 years old. So, it's just hard to see something like this happen. He has my love and support always."

  The NBA placed Billupson immediate leave following the arrest.

  Lue added that Billups remained confident despite his situation.

  "He's confident in what's going on. The toughest part just for him, just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he's really confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can just see that he's OK. So that was good to hear," added Lue.

  The Blazers named Tiago Splitter as interim coach in the meantime.