The Los Angeles Clippers got handed a devastating punishment from the NBA for their cap circumvention investigations.
The Clippers are losing five first-round picks, a $30 million fine, and the team owner, Steve Ballmer, is getting “suspended for a full calendar year from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities.”
Additionally, Clippers president Gillian Zucker will be “suspended without pay for one year for being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.”
Finally, basketball operations president Lawrence Frank is getting a six-month suspension without pay, the ruling that has the biggest impact on the franchise given his role in basketball-related decisions.
Why were the Clippers punished?
The scandal centers on Ballmer investing in Aspiration, a company that became a team sponsor, which had a “no-show” endorsement deal with star Kawhi Leonard.
The forward signed with the Clippers after delivering a title to the Toronto Raptors, along with pushing the team to trade for Paul George.
According to esteemed journalist Pablo Torre, who broke the scandal and conducted an in-depth investigation, multiple Aspiration sources believed the Leonard sponsorship was a way to funnel more money to the star.
Leonard did not do any public work as a representative of Aspiration, which increased scrutiny of the sponsorship.
According to the NBA, the Clippers initiated three other deals for Leonard, including Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance.
What happens to Kawhi Leonard?
Leonard is only getting a $700,000 fine, though his former representative and uncle, Dennis Robertson, has been banned from the NBA for his involvement in business dealings.
“ I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement.
“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap… As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
Leonard seems to expect the Raptors to complete his trade now that he is not being suspended, and he will try to move on from this scandal.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are left in disarray for the foreseeable future.
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