When the hammer finally dropped, the Los Angeles Clippers got clobbered. Almost no one associated with the NBA's nearly year-long investigation of the organization for salary cap circumvention was spared -- except, it seems, for Kawhi Leonard, who will evidently be allowed to make a run for the border and flee to Canada. A lucky break for Leonard (and, by extension, the Toronto Raptors after trading for Leonard in June), who escapes relatively unscathed in what has been a very long and messy scandal for the league.
On Wednesday, the NBA issued a statement saying the investigation "found a pattern of misconduct and multiple rules violations" by the Clippers, who are said to have initiated "off-court income opportunities" between Leonard and four separate companies. In essence, the Clippers, per the investigation, made introductions to companies like the now-bankrupt Aspiration, which gave Leonard what amounted to a $28 million no-show endorsement deal, providing gobs of supplemental income for Leonard while allowing the Clippers to circumvent the NBA's salary cap rules. The league did not take kindly to that kind of scheming and issued harsh penalties as a result.
The Clippers were docked five future first-round picks (beginning in 2029 and ending in 2033) and fined $30 million. Additionally, senior leadership was put in a protracted timeout. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from league and team activities for one year, President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months.
To underscore the NBA's displeasure, commissioner Adam Silver also wagged a disapproving finger in the organization's face, saying he was "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." The commish did not pull any punches in his statement or the punishment -- of the Clippers. When it comes to Leonard, the league essentially let him walk.
No voided contract, as some speculated might happen. No hefty suspension that would leave his as-of-this-writing still-pending trade to Toronto on hold while the Raptors worked out whether or not having him around for a huge chunk of the season (or possibly the entire thing) was worth what they gave up to bring him back. Instead, Leonard must pay the league $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits that were funneled to his uncle and former business manager Dennis Robertson, more commonly known as "Uncle Dennis." For Leonard, that represents the best-case scenario.
A fine of less than $1 million is a pittance compared to the tens of millions he reportedly cleared for sweetheart no-show endorsement deals. The guess here is that he's happy to pay what amounts to a parking ticket while the Clippers have the book thrown at them and do real time. Of course, to hear Leonard tell it through his new agent, Harrison Gaines, he was an innocent bystander in all this.
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