NBA drops the hammer! Clippers lose five first-round picks in Kawhi Leonard scandal

The NBA has delivered a devastating verdict for the Los Angeles Clippers after a yearlong investigation involving Kawhi Leonard.

Details: The league officially announced that the Clippers and Leonard violated salary-cap circumvention rules under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The findings were based on an independent investigation conducted by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which identified a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant violations.

• Also read: The Sardinians should confirm their superiority at home again: Cagliari vs Verona prediction

The punishment is enormous. The Clippers have been stripped of five first-round draft picks, losing one selection in each NBA Draft from 2029 through 2033. The franchise has also been fined $30 million and will operate under an NBA compliance and monitoring program for the next five years.

• Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for one year.
• Gillian Zucker has received a one-year suspension without pay.
• Lawrence Frank has been suspended without pay for six months.
• Kawhi Leonard must pay the NBA $700,000.

According to the investigation, the Clippers initiated and facilitated off-court income opportunities for Leonard with companies doing business with the organization, while also paying personal expenses on behalf of the player and his representatives. The NBA also determined that Leonard, through then-business manager Dennis Robertson, pressured the franchise to help secure those opportunities.

Leonard has not been suspended and his contract has not been voided, ESPN reported. Robertson, meanwhile, has been banned for five years from conducting business with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of players or other league personnel. The NBA and NBPA have confirmed that the announced penalties are final and binding. It is worth noting that Leonard averaged a career-high 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games last season.

Reminder: The end of the road! French champions and EuroLeague club drop out of professional basketball