Inside the NBA’s Clippers Penalties: What Five Lost Picks and a $30 Million Fine Mean Going Forward

Clippers NBA Penalties: Draft Picks, Fines, Suspensions Explained

The NBA handed down its findings and penalties in the Kawhi Leonard investigation on September 2, closing the book on a saga that hung over the Los Angeles Clippers for more than a year.

The league found that the Clippers organization arranged off-court income opportunities for Leonard through four companies, Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance, using team business as leverage to get those firms to sign him and covering personal expenses for Leonard and his representatives. Investigators also found the team failed to report improper solicitations made on Leonard’s behalf by his business manager, Dennis Robertson.

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Clippers Have No Formal Path to Appeal the NBA’s Penalties, but Ballmer Could Still Sue

Clippers appeal NBA penalties

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.

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Clippers’ Historic Punishment Clears the Path for Kawhi Leonard’s Return to Toronto

Clippers' Historic Punishment Clears Path for Kawhi Leonard Trade to Raptors

The NBA handed down the most severe front-office punishment in league history on Sept. 2, stripping the Los Angeles Clippers of five first-round draft picks and fining the team $30 million for salary-cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard. An independent investigation led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz found the Clippers organization facilitated off-court endorsement deals between Leonard and four companies with business ties to the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.

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NBA Hits Clippers With Historic Penalties in Kawhi Leonard Salary-Cap Probe

Clippers NBA Penalties: Draft Picks, Fines, Suspensions Explained

The NBA announced Wednesday that it is stripping the Los Angeles Clippers of five future first-round draft picks and fining the team $30 million after an independent investigation found the organization and Kawhi Leonard violated the league’s salary-cap rules.

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