LA Clippers fined $30m for salary rule breach in acquiring Leonard

The LA Clippers have been fined $30 million for violating salary cap rules over the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard. After a year-long investigation, owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for a year and the Clippers will forfeit first-round draft picks in each of the five years from 2029. Leonard has been fined $700,000, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been suspended without pay for six months and president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year for their involvement. The investigation found the Clippers circumnavigated NBA rules by initiating off-court income opportunities between Leonard and four companies doing business with the team, as well as facilitating endorsement agreements between Leonard and the companies. "The NBA's collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. "I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers' institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations." Two-time NBA champion Leonard said he "accepts full responsibility". "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," he wrote on Instagram.