NBA pundit Stephen A Smith is calling for the league to punish Kawhi Leonard after a second story has come out about potentially illegal sponsorship deals. The Los Angeles Clippers and Leonard were already under investigation for the Aspiration controversy. Pablo Torre revealed that another shady deal could have happened with Daktronics. The Clippers video board manufacturer allegedly also paid Kawhi under the table for a second story of them potentially breaking the rules.
Smith has delivered some memorable quotes about Leonard in the past, but he made strong demands for a punishment today:
“This is egregious if it’s true. If it’s true, we’re talking about banishment for (owner) Steve Ballmer as far as I’m concerned for at least a year. It should be entertained that Kawhi Leonard should be banned for a year. Yeah, he just took the money but damn that.
The deal with Aspiration – that’s a green banking company. That’s at the center of the NBA investigation going on now. To learn that you may have had another sponsorship deal worth millions of dollars? You have not one but a couple of companies funneling money to you to circumvent the salary cap.”
Two deals with such skepticism about Kawhi and the Clippers following the rules could lead to a strong punishment. The Toronto Raptors agreed to a trade in principle for Leonard, but they are waiting for the NBA investigation to end before officially completing the deal.
Could The NBA Suspend Kawhi Leonard?
Smith’s demands on ESPN First Take and the league’s rulings are two different things. While there is logic behind Smith’s request, the NBA rarely suspends players that long. The Clippers have also already agreed to trade Leonard for Brandon Ingram.
A full year’s suspension would likely cause Toronto to back out if they are missing a full season of their returning franchise superstar. The Clippers are the team that should suffer more than the Raptors since they allegedly did the shady practices.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has waited too long with the investigation going on for almost a full year now. Another story emerging could see the league forced to investigate this one separately. The only way the league will suspend Kawhi for a full season would be if concrete evidence puts him at fault in both stories.
Why Stephen A Smith Hates Kawhi Leonard
Many NBA minds have criticized Leonard, but Stephen A seems to take it to another level. Criticism started when Kawhi sat out a season with the San Antonio Spurs with a questionable injury and demanded a trade the following offseason.
Smith has trashed Leonard for missing too much time and being content with sitting out games for precautionary reasons like “load management.” Kawhi also influenced the Clippers to trade future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George.
The reasons for Stephen A’s harsh words come back to Leonard trying to call his own shots by using his power on a team and not leading by example. Kawhi will likely have Smith calling for a strong punishment until the league makes their official ruling.
Stephen A Smith Demands NBA Ban Kawhi Leonard For One Year