The NBA punishment for the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap circumvention came one day before the anniversary of journalist Pablo Torre dropping the news bombshell. He detailed how Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap. On Wednesday, we received the resolution to this whole scandal, and the NBA laid down the hammer. For more NBA breakdowns, check out this article by us here.
The NBA punishment is severe. Los Angeles is losing its first-round picks from 2029-2033, and Ballmer was issued a $30 million fine. He will not be able to attend any league or team activities for one year.
The Clippers’ president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, is suspended for a year without pay. In addition, team president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is suspended for six months without pay.
Leonard’s former agent and uncle, Dennis Robertson, is banned from all NBA business dealings for five years. Leonard, the new Toronto Raptor, only has to pay a 700k fine. He did not receive a suspension.
When it comes to Los Angeles, there’s no nice way to put a positive spin on this. Knowing the punishment now, it’s official that the Clippers are cooked. They will not be anything of real substance in the league for at least the next five years and, at worst, for the next decade.
With the Leonard Clippers era officially over, looking back, it’s one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history. You may read that and think I’m overreacting or being egregious, but that’s not the case.
In order to get Leonard back in 2019, the Clippers had to trade for Paul George. Los Angeles would also make other trades during Leonard’s seven years with the franchise to try to keep their contending window open.
The biggest of the aforementioned moves was trading for James Harden in 2023. To acquire him, the Clippers gave up a gigantic return to the Philadelphia 76ers. Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, and KJ Martin were the players traded. Los Angeles also dealt away a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap, and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Combine the Harden package with the George trade. Los Angeles sent out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick, and two first-round pick swaps to acquire George. In total, to get Leonard, build a championship roster around him, and receive the NBA punishment, the Clippers lost Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari, ten first-round picks, two pick swaps, and $30 million.
For all that massive giveaway, we would think it would amount to a championship or at least multiple deep playoff runs. Yet that’s not the case, as Los Angeles only won three playoff series and made the conference finals once during Leonard’s tenure.
The Clippers’ hopes of being a contender again start with Keaton Wagler having a higher ceiling than anticipated. Most people and I liked Wagler as a prospect; personally, though, the former Illinois guard was only the 5th-best player on my big board.
My conclusion on Wagler is a prospect with the upside to develop into a player who delivers All-Star impact and is a good second option on a playoff team. The chances, though, that we see Wagler become, let alone a top-ten player, even a top-fifteen player in the league, are slim.
Los Angeles’ future is also dependent on Darius Garland getting healthy and re-solidifying himself as an all-star-caliber player. He must cement himself as a piece the Clippers keep long-term, or a player to sell high for some noteworthy draft capital and an intriguing prospect with good upside.
Los Angeles must also hope Yanick Koan Niederhauser develops into a good starting center. The Clippers can aim to flip Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, Rui Hachimura, and Derrick Jones Jr. for a combined collection of decent draft capital and young prospects. Los Angeles will essentially grasp at straws, hoping most turn out well, but they likely won’t.
What’s your take? Post it in our free sports community at stadiumrant.app, or download Stadium Rant on the App Store.
Regarding Leonard, the superstar relatively got off scot-free compared to the punishments of everyone else. Ultimately, all of us should be glad Adam Silver laid the hammer down instead of giving the Clippers and Leonard a slap on the wrist. A light punishment would’ve set a nasty precedent, as other teams would see they could break the rules with ample abandon.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
