The Los Angeles Clippers are being investigated right now after a man came out to claim that there were irregularities in the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is trying to keep an open mind about it and prefers not to make any accusations with the probe underway.
This issue stemmed from a man named Johnny Wilkes who came out in the open to say he ended up with nothing despite helping the Clippers land Kawhi Leonard last offseason. He singled out Jerry West as one of the people who spoke with, something that was eventually denied by the Clippers executive board member.
Silver gave his comments on the matter when he appeared on ESPN’s “First Take.” A video of that can be found below.
"All I can say there is everyone's entitled to the presumption of innocent," Silver said. "Obviously, someone who is not known to me or the league office has made an allegation against the team."
Wilkes claims he is a close friend of Kawhi Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson. He said that he was promised some things by West if he could help swing a deal for the two-time NBA MVP to the Clippers.
He backed up his claim when he revealed a voice message of a man claiming to be “Jerry.” Among the things that could be heard on the message was the man trashing the Los Angeles Lakers and thanking another man (believed to be Wilkes) for his efforts.
West came out to deny the allegations and said that he did not deal with people with improper connections. Leonard responded as well, saying that Wilkes did not influence his decision to join the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard says Johnny Wilkes, the man suing Jerry West for $2.5 Million, had nothing to do with his decision to join the Clippers (via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/1sQ5hyIKzK — Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 18, 2020
"I’m from L.A. and I grew up here my whole life. And out here, people try to find any way to get some money. It probably won’t be the last. I know a lot of people out here," Leonard said.
Silver believes the truth will eventually come out. But this early, he is only doing the investigation as due diligence for the other NBA teams. For now, he believes there were no rules broken unless something is discovered throughout the proceedings.
It is unwanted publicity for the Clippers who are trying to pick up the pieces heading into the 2020-21 season. Leonard was hardly surprised by it, believing that more people will come out in the open to try and make money out of the matter.
