The Clippers on Wednesday denied a blistering report that owner Steve Ballmer knowingly circumvented NBA salary cap rules when he funded a multi-million no-show endorsement deal for All-Star Kawhi Leonard with an environmental company.

The $28 million deal was intended to be part of a marketing campaign for a start-up environmental company called Aspiration but allegedly was not made public to avoid questions about whether the deal circumvented rules, according to podcaster/investigative reporter Pablo Torre , formerly of ESPN.

The NBA said Wednesday that it will investigate whether the contract with Aspiration Fund Adviser, LLC, allowed the Clippers to circumvent the salary cap.

“We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the L.A. Clippers and are commencing an investigati

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