Kawhi Leonard denied knowledge of cap circumvention, but investigators found him involved in endorsement talks

Kawhi Leonard says he didn’t know anyone was trying to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.

That doesn’t mean he was entirely removed from the endorsement negotiations at the center of the league’s investigation.

Leonard said in a statement Wednesday that he had “no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

But the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz report indicates Leonard was involved in negotiations surrounding his endorsement agreement with Aspiration, as noted by Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

According to investigators, Leonard requested a change to the agreement that would swap the amounts of its cash and equity components. That’s an important distinction.

Being involved in negotiations over the structure of an endorsement contract does not establish that Leonard knew the arrangement was designed to circumvent the salary cap. Nor does it necessarily contradict his statement, which specifically addressed his knowledge of anyone’s intent to circumvent the rules.

Still, it adds another detail to an increasingly complicated picture. Leonard wasn’t merely a name sitting atop an endorsement agreement negotiated entirely without his involvement.

Investigators found he had at least some participation in negotiating its financial structure. What Leonard knew beyond that is an entirely different question.