The Clippers pulled a rabbit out of their hat in signing Kawhi Leonard last summer, coaxing the two-time Finals MVP to join the team in free agency. If there’s any truth to a recent lawsuit filed by Clippers “consultant” Johnny Wilkes, they may have had some help.
According to league insider Sam Amick, the NBA has launched an investigation into the Clippers’ acquisition of Leonard, with Wilkes alleging he was promised $2.5 million by executive board member Jerry West in exchange for information that would give Los Angeles a leg up on other teams pursuing the All-Star forward in free agency. Per TMZ, Wilkes filed his lawsuit against West earlier this week, asserting the Clippers exec ducked out on paying him the $2.5 million they agreed on.
Wilkes, who claims to have close ties to both Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, says he met with West at the Staples Center in April of 2019, offering his assistance in wooing the former Defensive Player of the Year to Los Angeles (Leonard was a member of the Toronto Raptors at the time). According to Wilkes, West sought his help several weeks later with Leonard eventually agreeing to a three-year, $103-million contract with an opt-out in 2021.
This isn’t the first time suspicions have been raised about the fishy circumstances leading to Leonard’s bombshell arrival in 2019. Around this time last year, the league opened an investigation into the Clippers after it was alleged Leonard had received improper benefits, though ultimately nothing came of it.
West responded to Wilkes’ lawsuit and the subsequent league investigation on Thursday, dismissing the allegations against him as both “baseless” and “false.”
If the NBA finds evidence the Clippers tampered with Leonard or violated any league bylaws in their recruitment of him, the team could be subject to lost draft picks and a fine of up to $10 million, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
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