Latest Kawhi Leonard allegations should infuriate Jazz fans

Ever since the Utah Jazz underwent a major overhaul in 2022, there have been numerous questions about the direction they are headed. While the writing was on the wall that the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert era had peaked and wouldn't get better, one can only wonder where the Jazz would be if it weren't for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.

They were the ones who basically stopped those Jazz teams when they were at their peak in 2021, and while Terance Mann may have been the one who dealt the finishing blow, it's fair to say that the Clippers would not have been in that position in the first place had it not been for Leonard joining them two years prior.

That's what makes it all the worse to know that Kawhi and the Clippers *allegedly* broke the NBA's rule with the salary cap, where he was paid tens of millions from a sponsor on top of the max contract they gave him in 2019, first reported by Pablo Torre on September 3. Since then, more details have emerged that make things look even worse for everyone.

Jazz fans should be angry at this news (if proven true)

First of all, these are allegations, so no one can decree anything until these allegations have been proven true. However, if they are, there's no telling where the Jazz would be right now had the Clippers and Leonard been caught earlier, or if he had never signed with the Clippers to begin with.

If Leonard had stayed in Toronto (which likely wouldn't have happened regardless), then the Clippers likely wouldn't have stood in the Jazz's way in 2021, as they wouldn't have acquired Paul George, and they would have instead developed hotshot young stud Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

2021 was an unusual time in the NBA, which provided Utah with a rare opportunity to capitalize on a COVID-affected season. It was the best season they had with Mitchell and Gobert, and they came within inches of having their most fruitful playoff run since 2007, potentially even more had things continued to go their way.

If they had succeeded, perhaps a title was in the cards for them, or at the very least, it would have given the team the confidence to continue with Mitchell and Gobert. That was all undone by Leonard and the Clippers, and it's worth considering that may not have been the case if the NBA had either caught them or Leonard had chosen otherwise.

What's done is done, and there are plenty of what-ifs that will make Jazz fans wonder, but knowing that such an exciting era was undone potentially because of cheating should leave a very bad taste in Jazz fans' mouths if there wasn't one already.