After a catastrophe that took years to prepare for, there is a certain silence. You don’t experience everything at once. All you have to do is begin counting the pieces on the ground. Ten first-round draft picks, one superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, $30 million in fines, and the suspension of their own owner are the current totals for the Los Angeles Clippers. The decision to bring Kawhi Leonard to Los Angeles was the root of it all.
On September 2, 2026, the NBA announced its decision, and the severity of the penalty seemed like something from a cautionary tale. Five first-round selections from the 2029 through 2033 drafts will be forfeited by the Clippers. Steve Ballmer, the owner, has a one-year suspension.
Gillian Zucker, President of Business Operations, was given the same. It was discovered that the organization had given Leonard off-court income opportunities through third parties, thereby paying him more than the salary cap in ways that the league views as circumvention. It’s the kind of decision that transforms a franchise for ten years.
For his part, Kawhi Leonard released a statement via his new agent. He acknowledged that those in his inner circle had made a mistake in judgment. He denied knowing that people were getting around the cap. He was fined $700,000. Then he turned to face Toronto. It’s difficult to ignore how neatly he gets out of this predicament while the organization that was established around him bears the full brunt of the fallout.
It is now anticipated that the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Toronto Raptors, which was agreed upon earlier this summer but stalled during the investigation, will be completed in a few days. Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a trade, and two second-round picks are all being sent back to Los Angeles by the Raptors. For a team in need, it’s a respectable return, but it falls short of completely filling the void.
You have to go back to 2019 to fully comprehend the extent of this catastrophe. Leonard stated that he would only sign with the Clippers if they signed Paul George. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two swaps sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder were all part of the incredible cost for George alone.
The Clippers acknowledged it at the time as a necessary expense of developing a contender. Naturally, SGA went on to rank among the league’s top players. One of those picks was used to draft Jalen Williams, who went on to become an All-Star. The Thunder are currently developing into a dynasty. The Finals were never reached by the Clippers.
The record that followed those seven years under Kawhi gets worse the more you look at it. During his time with Los Angeles, Leonard missed 243 games, or almost three entire seasons. In 2020, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead without him completing the series. Without him, they made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2021.
There were then three first-round exits. In his last season, he completely missed the playoffs. As a Clipper, he made just 35 appearances in the postseason. It’s still unclear if the project’s foundation was unstable from the start or if any version of it would ever succeed.
Even though the punishment is historic, there is a feeling in some parts of the league that it may not be complete. The investigation is still ongoing, according to investigators. Although their final penalty was three picks rather than five, Brian Windhorst pointed out that the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were hit with a similar five-pick penalty in 2000 for the Joe Smith case, eventually had picks restored after cooperating.
Depending on decisions, the Clippers may take a similar course. Ballmer appears to have no choice but to file a lawsuit contesting the league’s conclusions in court.
Kawhi Leonard will return to Toronto with a seven-time All-NBA resume, a $700,000 fine, and a fresh start that he claims he is determined to preserve. For their part, the Raptors seem to be wagering that one more run with the player who won them their lone championship will be worth all the sacrifices they made to acquire him. They might be correct. It’s also possible that witnessing a team disintegrate in an attempt to acquire a single player should serve as a cautionary tale that anyone involved in this industry takes seriously.
Rebuilding is currently the Clippers’ only option. Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, and Darius Garland make up a new core that is younger, less expensive, and unburdened by the recent events. It remains to be seen if that will be sufficient to bounce back from what essentially amounts to one of the most costly errors in professional basketball history.
Ten selections in the first round. There are no finals. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard is returning to Toronto.
