Pablo Torre

Alleged $48 Million Shadow Payroll Leaves Ballmer Little Room to Fight

Pablo Torre argues that Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers used companies tied to the team’s commercial orbit to route an alleged $48 million in off-book compensation to Kawhi Leonard, circumventing the NBA salary cap. Torre says the league’s resulting sanctions—five first-round picks, a $30 million fine and a yearlong ban from the Intuit Dome—leave Ballmer to choose between accepting an unprecedented punishment or pursuing litigation that could expose further evidence.