Lakers Reportedly 'Laughed' at 'Audacity' of Kawhi Leonard's Uncle in Contract Talks

Kawhi Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, has been a key figure in the NBA star's career, but the spotlight on him has never been brighter than it is with the Los Angeles Clippers being investigated by the NBA amid allegations of salary cap circumvention.

Per The Athletic's Dan Woike, Sam Amick and Mike Vorkunov, the Los Angeles Lakers had an experience with Robertson in which they "laughed" at the "audacity" of his requests when the team attempted to sign Leonard as a free agent in the summer of 2019.

Amick previously reported in December 2019 that in meetings with teams interested in signing Leonard, Robertson gave them a list of requests that included an ownership stake in the organization, use of a private plane at all times, a house and " a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team."

The new report noted Lakers officials "repeatedly" told Robertson his requests went against the NBA collective bargaining agreement, but they weren't the only team he was trying to negotiate those terms with.

Woike, Amick and Vorkunov noted Robertson gave the same parameters to the Toronto Raptors, who Leonard led to an NBA title during his lone season with the team in 2018-19, and Clippers.

"There's no beginning and there's no end to what he'd ask for," one executive involved in the negotiations told The Athletic. "…There's a bizarre expectation, not entitlement, but like a willingness to ask for crazy things."

The report went on to state that Robertson has made things difficult for each of the three teams that Leonard has played for, dating back to his time with the San Antonio Spurs.

"The things he needs and the things he wants are indistinguishable," an executive with direct knowledge said in the report.

While it's not uncommon for players and agents to seek the best deal possible to maximize their potential earnings, Robertson's actions were described as being extreme even by that standard.

"As one executive put it, it's like someone driving 75 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone while everyone else was cruising at 10 mph over the limit.," The Athletic wrote. "'There was no one governing him,' an agent said. '… He worked without any guardrails.'"

Six years after Leonard originally signed with the Clippers in a stunning move, not least of which because it showed the power of an NBA superstar because it was contingent on the team being able to trade for Paul George, the organization finds itself in potential hot water with the league for potentially circumventing the salary cap.

Pablo Torre, on Pablo Torre Finds Out, has so far done a three-part series that alleges Leonard had a $28 million no-show endorsement deal with a company, Aspiration, that received significant financial investments from Clippers governor Steve Ballmer and vice chairman Donald Wong.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the league will look into potentially updating its rules regarding companies that teams and players are investing in as a result of the Clippers situation.

Leonard is entering his sixth season with the Clippers. He has only played in 266 out of a possible 472 regular-season games since 2019-20 due to injuries.

When Leonard has been healthy enough to play, he's been very effective with 24.4 points, 6.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.