The NBA’s historic penalties against the Los Angeles Clippers are five days old, and the team still has no clear formal path to overturn them.
The league announced on September 2nd that an investigation found the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard violated the NBA’s salary-cap circumvention rules. The findings cost the Clippers five future first-round draft picks, in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, a $30 million fine, and a five-year compliance and monitoring program. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year from all league and team activities. President of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended a year without pay, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended six months without pay. Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 to the league, and his former business manager, Dennis Robertson, was banned five years from doing business with any NBA team.