The Clippers’ cap circumvention policy keeps growing larger. Both Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard still remain unmoved. The Klaw spoke about the situation in a short media day appearance. “None of us did no wrongdoing and that’s it. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team,” he said of his deal with Aspiration. But can the Clippers and Leonard be this relaxed? Not according to Rachel Nichols.

The Fox Sports analyst joined Chris Mannix to discuss the situation. Mannix felt the Clippers were inviting suspicion by not providing any examples of their innocence. However, Nichols feels that it won’t help because Leonard can’t justify his deal with Aspiration.

“I disagree with you. I don’t think this goes away at all with that example… Let’s say he tweeted three times a year. Let’s say that was the story when Pablo first broke the story. It was, oh, he tweeted three times a year. Nobody would have thought that that was still justified for seven million a year. I don’t think that he can show he did something that’s going to make us all go,” she said on Open Floor.

It ties back to Pablo Torre’s claim. The investigative podcaster claimed Leonard’s $28 million deal with Aspiration was essentially a ‘no-show deal. Several prominent figures promoted Aspiration before it went bankrupt. There’s no public appearance from the Klaw that has been unearthed yet. But despite such claims, Kawhi Leonard doesn’t feel he did ‘nothing’.

“I don’t think it’s accurate,” he said about his deal with Aspiration. While he didn’t provide any instances, Leonard wants the NBA to handle the investigation. Both he and Ballmer echoed the same tone. They are confident they did nothing wrong. Answers will come to the surface. But it could be an elaborate investigation, which might drag the matter out deep into the season.

The Clippers and Kawhi Leonard’s many other dilemmas

Kawhi Leonard’s ‘no-show’ deal isn’t the only complication the Los Angeles Clippers face. Torre has asked a lot more questions of Steve Ballmer and more. As Nichols stated, “I think there’s just mounting and mounting financial track transactions that the Clippers are going to have to answer for,” she added.

The latest allegation against Ballmer is a payment made to Aspiration even after the Clippers ended their sponsorship deal. Notably, the Clippers owner allegedly made a $1.875 million payment to Golden State Opportunity Foundation, a company run by Aspiration cofounder Joe Sanberg. There are also several other such traces.

Ballmer invested a prior $10 million, according to Torre. 19 other Aspiration partners refused to pay due to the unsteady financial situation. Having claimed in the past that he was “defrauded” by Sanberg, these investments raise more queries than offer relief to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, even the Clippers’ president of team operations, Lawrence Frank, has sided with Ballmer.

“I’m hurt for Steve. He’s one of the best people and most honorable people I’ve ever met. He does things the right way for the right reasons and he constantly reminds us to stay on the right side of the rules,” he said about the Clippers owner. It’s clear that the situation is messy, largely due to the widespread coverage it has received. Until the investigation concludes, it’s not practical to make any judgments.