The Los Angeles Clippers could be dealing with more than just punishment from the NBA for the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap circumvention scandal.The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, N.Y., has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the Clippers helped organize contracts for Leonard that violated salary-cap rules, the New York Times reported Thursday.A spokesman for the office declined comment to the Times, while the Clippers and NBA did not respond to requests for comment.Earlier this month, the NBA stripped the Clippers of five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and fined the team $30 million, among other punishments, after an independent investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations.Leonard was fined $700,000.Federal prosecutors began investigating the matter before the NBA announcement and have issued at least one subpoena, the Times reported. The newspaper added that other specifics about that case, including its scope, targets and possible crimes, were unclear.The Clippers, according to the Times, are considering a lawsuit against the NBA in the aftermath of the punishment.Because Leonard did not have his contract voided and wasn’t suspended, the NBA’s ruling was believed to have cleared the path for the Clippers to complete a trade with the Toronto Raptors that they had agreed to earlier this summer.However, the deal hasn’t been officially announced yet, and training camp is set to open later this month. The Raptors paused the deal while waiting for the NBA to conclude its investigation.The U.S. attorney’s office has been involved in cases of gambling in professional sports, including former NBA guard Chauncey Billups and MLB closer Emmanuel Clase.With files from The Canadian Press