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 […]
Will Kawhi penalties help Celtics maximize the Clippers' 2028 pick?
Jan 3, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles the ball against Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
After nearly a year of independent investigation into the violation of salary ceiling rules, Clippers received the biggest blow, after NBA decided to deny him five choices in the first round of drapes, one each in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, plus...
After the NBA organization announced the punishments for all the participants of the malpractices made by the Los Angeles Clippers, the impressions of the analysts are coming. One can say anything about the media in the USA, but that they do not forgive such scandals - that is a fact. In the coming days, there will be talk about the pepper penalty that the Clippers received, about the endangered future of the franchise [...] The post Echoes of t…
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