NBA Punishes Clippers in Kawhi Leonard Salary Cap Probe
The punishment leaves Los Angeles with no fully controlled first-round pick until 2034 and forces a rebuild, analysts said.
- Following a year-long investigation into Kawhi Leonard, the NBA stripped the Los Angeles Clippers of five first-round picks and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for salary cap circumvention.
- The Clippers will lose first-round picks in every draft between 2029 and 2033, meaning their earliest controlled pick arrives in the 2034 NBA Draft.
- Lacking young All-Star prospects, the franchise must explore trades for veterans Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram, Kris Dunn, and Derrick Jones to acquire future draft capital.
- Amid the team's current status, observers question Rui Hachimura's July free agency choice; San Antonio Spurs analyst Dusty Garza suggested on X that Hachimura might regret the decision.
- With less than 50 days before the 2026-27 season, the front office must secure their own first-round picks in the next two years from teams like OKC and Toronto.
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Ex-Lakers Star Rui Hachimura 'Regrets' Joining Rival Clippers, Analyst Suggests
The Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of the sports world watched as the NBA imposed historic penalties on the L.A. Clippers after the league’s investigation into salary cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard.The Clippers have been hit with the hammer, losing five future first round picks. Leonard has been fined. Steve Ballmer has been fined […]
NBA Punishes Clippers in Kawhi Leonard Salary Cap Probe
The NBA has ruled against the Los Angeles Clippers following a yearlong salary cap circumvention investigation involving Kawhi Leonard, according to sources cited by ESPN. The franchise will forfeit five… The post NBA Taxes Clippers With Five Draft Picks Over Salary Cap Circumvention Involving Kawhi Leonard appeared first on .
On Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Clippers franchise was heavily penalized financially and sportfully by the NBA. A landmark sanction. Wednesday night, the NBA confirmed that the Los Angeles Clippers had broken the rules of the American basketball league's salary cap (wage cap) and sanctioned them with a withdrawal of five first draft rounds between 2029 and 2033 and a fine of $30 million (or 26 million euros) for circumventing the rules of …
The L.A. Club was forced to withdraw five elections in the first round of drafts — one of the sanctions imposed on it.
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