Steve Ballmer and Clippers Hit With $30M Fine in Kawhi Leonard Salary Cap Case
- On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the NBA cleared Kawhi Leonard to return to the Toronto Raptors, declining to suspend him or void his contract following an investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers.
- A pattern of misconduct involving a $28 million 'no-show' endorsement deal with Aspiration prompted the league to strip the Clippers of five first-round picks and fine the team $30 million.
- Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution for circumvention violations, while Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months.
- Following the league's decision, the previously paused trade to Toronto can now proceed, sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a 2027 pick swap, and two second-round selections to Los Angeles.
- Leonard joins a Toronto lineup featuring Barnes, RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, and JaKobe Walter, bringing championship experience from his 2019 title run with the Raptors.
191 Articles
191 Articles
Kawhi Leonard Penalized and Clippers Fined Whopping $30M for Violating NBA Rules
The L.A. Clippers also lost their first round draft picks for the next five yearsKawhi LeonardCredit: Chris Coduto/GettyNEED TO KNOWThe Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard have been fined in connection with violations of the NBA’s salary cap circumvention rules The Clippers lost five first-round draft picks and were fined $30 million, while Leonard was fined $700,000The Clippers denied the allegations, while Leonard took “full responsibility …
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thesportsleader.comNBA fines Clippers $30M, strips 5 1st-rounders in Kawhi Leonard probe
The NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million and stripped away five first-round draft picks to punish the franchise for violating salary cap circumvention rules involving star forward Kawhi Leonard, who was ordered to pay $700,000, the league ann...
NBA Fines Clippers $30M, Suspends Owner Over Salary Cap Violations
The NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million and suspended owner Steve Ballmer from all league and team activities for a year Wednesday after finding the team circumvented league salary cap rules by arranging outside endorsement deals for star forward Kawhi Leonard and paying his personal expenses. The league also stripped the Clippers of […]
NBA Crushes Clippers After Kawhi Leonard Investigation
The NBA has concluded its investigation of the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, and the punishments are major. The league announced Wednesday that the independent probe, conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, uncovered "a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules," and as such the team will have to forfeit five fir…
NBA hammers Clippers over Leonard salary cap violations
The Clippers, who said they plan to fight the punishments, will forfeit a first-round NBA Draft pick every year 2029-2033 after having been found to have aided Leonard in evading salary cap rules in deals with team corporate sponsors when he signed in 2022. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was banned from all league and team activities for one year, president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for a year and president of basketball …
Historic Clippers penalty adds scrutiny to ESPN's report around NBA investigation into Steve Ballmer
Beneath the surface of the NBA’s yearlong investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, the reporting around the team’s attempt to circumvent the salary cap began to take on a life of its own. Now that the NBA has stripped the Clippers of five first-round draft picks and fined the franchise $30 million,…
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