According to The New York Times’ Marc Stein, the NBA is investigating claims that Los Angeles Clippers executive Jerry West offered to pay Johnny Wilkes, a friend of Kawhi Leonard, $2.5 million to aid in delivering the two-time Finals MVP to the team in the 2019 free agency.
On Monday, TMZ reported that Wilkes is suing West over an alleged failure to make that promise $2.5 million payment in place for his help in securing Leonard.
The LA Clippers have since forcefully denied the claims against West. The team wrote in a statement, “The law suit filled by Johnny Wilkes is replete with inaccuracies and the allegations are baseless.” “The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA in its investigation, which is standard when these types of allegations are made,” they wrote. They also added that they are providing the NBA with evidence to prove that the allegations are false.
This is not the only time the Clippers are being investigated due to events and allegations surrounding Leonard’s free agency. The Athletic’s Sam Amici reported that during the 2019-20 season, Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, was investigated for asking for improper benefits from teams looking to sign the superstar forward. No wrongdoing was found, but reports said that the league would resume the investigation if that changed.
There is no precedent for the NBA finding evidence of such an illegal recruiting tactic. The nearest example would probably be Joe Smith’s illegal contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1998. It was found that Smith has taken a below-market-value contract to join a Timberwolves team that would otherwise not have had the cap space to sign him knowing that he could sign a more lucrative deal later using Bird Rights.
As a result, the league stripped the Timberwolves four first-round picks and effectively suspended both owner Glen Taylor and general manager, Kevin McHale.
