Kawhi Leonard Addresses NBA Investigation After $700K Fine, 'I Know What Type of Guy I Was'

Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard spoke Friday about the salary cap circumvention investigation that resulted in him incurring a hefty fine and ultimately getting traded from the Los Angeles Clippers this past offseason.

In an interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic, Leonard discussed the NBA investigation and end result, saying, "It was a long summer. It was kind of expected. I didn't know when it was going to happen. But they made their decision when they did. I just stayed focused. I know what type of guy I was. I was honest. And that's all you can do, be honest; just look in the mirror yourself and see if you did anything wrong. Just kept moving forward. Talked to God, my family. I just kept moving forward after that."

In September, the NBA announced that its investigation determined the Clippers were guilty of salary cap circumvention due to team governor Steve Ballmer facilitating a $28 million endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration.

The Clippers were fined $30 million and docked five future first-round draft picks, while Ballmer was banned from partaking in all team and league activities for a year.

Leonard was fined $700,000 for his role, but he was not suspended, and the previously-agreed-upon trade to send him to Toronto was executed once the investigation concluded.

Now, the 35-year-old Leonard is back for his second tour of duty with the Raptors after leading them to their first and only NBA championship back in 2019.

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The seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP suggested to Aldridge that his main goal now is to aid in the development of the Raptors' younger players.

"That [winning another championship] would top off the career, obviously," Leonard said. "But more than that, I just want to help these guys get their mindset together. They've still got a lot of years to play. I just want to leave the stamp with them, just help them get better for when their time comes. They're still 23, 24, 25. Three or four years from now, they're going to still be in their prime. I might not be here. So that's all I want to do, help the team, help the organization. Whether that's winning one, or just helping them carry that over and win one themselves, that's all I want to do."

Leonard has helped the Raptors to a 2-0 start, and he continues to play at a high level despite having been in the NBA since 2011.

Last season, Leonard was named an All-Star and Second Team All-NBA selection, while finishing seventh in the NBA MVP voting.

If he provides similar results this season in Toronto, the Raptors should be legitimate threats to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.