Clippers Hammered by NBA for Kawhi Leonard Cap Circumvention

The NBA finally handed out their punishment to the Clippers for the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration saga, and it was a big one, with the Clippers getting something close to the maximum penalty. The Clippers are losing five first round draft picks (one each from 2029 to 2033), Steve Ballmer is getting fined $30M, and Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Gillian Zucker are all getting suspensions of various lengths.

The full summary report of the lawfirm’s investigation can be read here, and it is quite, quite damning if accurate (there’s no reason it wouldn’t be). The Clippers not only introduced Kawhi Leonard to sponsors illegally, but even negotiated the contracts that Kawhi was set to receive from said sponsors in return for future business. There’s a whole lot in there, and the evidence seems quite ironclad.

The Clippers have responded with a statement that they will fight the penalties, and I’m sure they will do so, but based on the report things look quite grim for them. For now, we should assume this penalty is what will actually take place, plus or minus some stuff around the margins.

The first round picks punishment is what fans will care about, and I won’t lie, this punishment is close to a death knell for the Clippers in the next few years barring some truly miraculous developments or brilliant team building. The Clippers will not have any firsts to trade for players, nor will they be able to draft youngsters to put around Keaton Wagler. They can, of course, trade the players currently on their roster for picks, and they will probably do so, since contention in the next couple of years seems very unlikely.

I don’t really have much to say about the whole situation, other than it’s really, really unfortunate for fans of the team. It seems fairly clear that the Clippers did what they were accused of, and did so for a team that made one Conference Finals a half-decade ago. Steve Ballmer and the executives are getting off relatively lightly on a personal perspective, as is Kawhi, but the franchise losing those picks will just make fans miserable for years to come. It seems unfair for fans, but cap circumvention is really bad, and punishments must be made.

I think it’s totally understandable for fans to jump ship over this. Not just because the team seems destined for a very difficult next 3-5 years, but because from ownership on down the organization seems to be rotten. Now, fans root for the players, and that’s always been the case, but this is a mighty tough pill to swallow.

Here at 213 Hoops, we will still be covering the Clippers as an on-court basketball team (for the time being, at least), so don’t expect any changes there. We will keep you all posted as the story develops further; Kawhi’s lack of punishment should mean that the trade will officially go through at some time, anyway. At least now we can all move on.