The NBA has been trying to gather information on the Los Angeles Clippers‘ potential involvement with cap circumvention. Kawhi Leonard is alleged to have circumvented the cap by accepting a sponsorship with the now-defunct company Aspiration.
After months of investigating, the NBA has finally released its ruling. They have levied heavy punishments against the Clippers and Leonard for their roles in this scandal.
Full Punishments for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard revealed
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the NBA has levied the harshest punishments ever for a cap circumvention case. Los Angeles has been stripped of five first-round picks. Steve Ballmer, the owner of the team, has also been suspended, along with GM Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker.
As far as Leonard is concerned, he will have to repay $700,000 in restitution. His former agent, Uncle Dennis Robertson, has been banned by the NBA from all future business dealings. However, his contract will not be voided, and the trade with the Raptors will likely be completed.
According to Charania, the Clippers will forfeit their picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts. Steve Ballmer is also suspended from any team activities for a year. Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year.
This is a very steep punishment levied by the NBA. However, the Clippers would have felt it more had the NBA done this before the NBA Draft. They would not have been able to use the fifth-overall pick, which they got as part of a trade with the Pacers.
With that pick, Los Angeles selected Keaton Wagler, a guard from Illinois. With that pick, they are now in the midst of a rebuild. However, losing five future first-round picks is no small punishment. That will hamstring them from making trades for years to come.
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