The NBA has seen this movie before. Joe Smith happened to be standing at the centre of the first version.
Smith became the face of the league’s salary-cap circumvention crackdown in 2000 after the Minnesota Timberwolves were caught using secret agreements designed to eventually reward him with a lucrative long-term contract.
The NBA initially stripped Minnesota of five first-round picks and fined the franchise $3.5 million. But the final draft damage was lighter: the league later restored the 2003 and 2005 selections, meaning the Timberwolves ultimately forfeited three first-rounders — in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
Twenty-six years later, the Los Angeles Clippers have received an even steeper draft penalty.
Smith sees the parallel. He also thinks the NBA got this one about right.
“I can rock with that,” Smith told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “I can rock with that.”
Smith ultimately called the league’s ruling “pretty fair.”
Clippers’ Draft Penalty Exceeds What Timberwolves Ultimately Served
Los Angeles will forfeit a first-round pick in every draft from 2029 through 2033 after the NBA found a pattern of salary cap circumvention involving Leonard’s off-court income opportunities.
That is five picks currently set to disappear — two more than Minnesota ultimately lost in the Smith scandal.
The Clippers were also fined $30 million. Ballmer received a one-year suspension, Frank was suspended for six months and Zucker for one year.
Leonard’s punishment was comparatively narrow: $700,000 and no suspension.
Smith noticed.
“Mine was a little more severe because I had to face suspension or I had to go to another team and that’s why I ended up in Detroit,” he said.
The NBA voided Smith’s contracts with Minnesota, wiping out the structure at the heart of the arrangement and disrupting his career directly.
Leonard’s contract remains intact.
Joe Smith Backs NBA’s Decision Not to Suspend Kawhi
Smith nevertheless stopped short of arguing that Leonard deserved the same treatment he received.
“I don’t think he should miss any time,” Smith said. “That’s a tough situation for any player to have to go through contract-wise, especially when you’re depending on other people to have your best interest at heart.”
Smith also pointed to one significant difference between the two scandals: accountability for the people around the player.
The NBA banned Robertson, Leonard’s former business manager and uncle, from doing business with NBA teams for five years. Smith said his representatives faced no comparable discipline following the Minnesota case.
“When I went through, my agents never got anything handed out to them,” Smith said.
The Clippers’ punishment now carries an unmistakable historical echo, but the comparison is not exact.
Minnesota was initially hit with five lost first-rounders before two were restored. Los Angeles, at least for now, is slated to lose all five.
Smith’s career absorbed more of the punishment in 2000.
This time, Leonard can keep playing while the Clippers are left carrying the heaviest part of the sentence.
Clippers Get Kawhi Leonard Verdict From Joe Smith in Cap Scandal