The NBA’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers has already produced a punishment that could reshape the franchise for years. The team was fined $30 million and stripped of five consecutive first-round picks after investigators found a pattern of salary-cap circumvention involving four corporate partners.

But the fallout may not end with the NBA’s penalties. Brian Windhorst believes there is another question worth asking: What happens if Kawhi Leonard truly had no idea what his uncle and adviser, Dennis Robertson, was doing with money tied to his name?

“What I want to say is I can’t prove what Kawhi Leonard knew and when he knew it. The implication is that he didn’t know this was happening. I don’t know what Kawhi knew, but I do know this: If Kawhi did not know that Uncle Dennis was getting him $30-plus million in deals—in endorsement deals he wasn’t working for—then Kawhi needs to talk to authorities, because that would be a multiple-level felony if you were misrepresenting somebody and taking money on their behalf.”

Windhorst’s comments came after the NBA concluded its year-long investigation, which found that the Clippers used relationships with Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance to facilitate impermissible off-court income for Leonard.

The most detailed example involved Aspiration. Leonard signed a four-year agreement through KL2 Aspire Enterprises LLC in April 2022. The deal included $28 million in cash, or $7 million per year, plus another $20 million in stock grants. The reported total value was $48 million.

Investigators found that the agreement required virtually no conventional endorsement work. It also contained a provision that would end the deal if Leonard stopped being a Clippers player. Leonard personally requested a change to the payment structure, switching it from $7 million in annual equity and $5 million in cash to $7 million in cash and $5 million in equity.

Robertson was at the center of the arrangements. The NBA found that he solicited unauthorized compensation and pressured Clippers executives and corporate partners into creating off-court revenue streams for Leonard. He was subsequently banned from conducting business with NBA teams or personnel for five years.

Leonard, meanwhile, has maintained that he did not know anyone intended to circumvent the salary cap. In a statement issued through his agent, Harrison Gaines, he said:

“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family. I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

The NBA fined Leonard $700,000 in restitution for personal expenses covered by the Clippers. Steve Ballmer, Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank also received suspensions, while the Clippers lost five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.

Ballmer’s punishment has created another layer of uncertainty. Windhorst said his conversations with other owners suggest the Clippers owner has little support within the league.

“I’m just telling you, my conversations indicate that Steve Ballmer’s support amongst ownership is currently nil, and I can’t predict what’s going to happen there.”

Still, the research establishes no federal criminal charges or active federal investigation against Robertson. Windhorst did not say that charges were pending. His comments were based on a hypothetical: if Leonard genuinely had no knowledge of money being taken or arrangements being made in his name, he argued that the situation could warrant contacting authorities.

For now, the NBA’s punishment is certain. What Leonard knew, what Robertson intended and whether the fallout goes beyond league discipline remain separate questions.