Steve Ballmer once promised the Clippers would be “hardcore.” Eleven years later, the franchise remains hardcore, just not in the way he had imagined. Instead of celebrating championships, the team is trapped in secrecy, lawsuits, and a fresh NBA investigation that circles back to the one question insiders can’t avoid: is it finally time to get out of the Kawhi Leonard business? That’s not just speculation. In fact, it’s a sentiment whispered from within Ballmer’s own orbit.

“ At some point, Steve has to get out of the Kawhi Leonard business, ” one former staffer admitted, as reported by Baxter Holmes speaking on NBA Today. And while the Clippers remain optimistic that a healthy Leonard can still anchor a contender, the growing pile of missed games, legal scrutiny, and broken prom

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