Ever since Pablo Torre made allegations of potential cap circumvention, Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer, and the Los Angeles Clippers have become the leading storyline in the NBA.
In a podcast episode titled, ‘Kawhi Leonard Signed a Secret $28M Deal. Steve Ballmer Funded a Fraud. We Followed the Money,‘ Torre connected dots and explained how Leonard allegedly received money from a now bankrupt company along with his contract with the team, a violation of NBA rules.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver commented on the issue and said the league would open an investigation into Leonard, Ballmer, and the Clippers franchise to both prove wrongdoing and assess a suitable punishment.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,” Silver said.
Most recently, an article published by The Athletic reported the potential penalties for the guilty parties.
Potential Punishments For Leonard, Ballmer, And Clippers
In The Athletic’s recent reporting, they laid out the potential fate all those involved could face if Torre’s accusations are found to be true.
Based on Article XIII of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, potential punishments could include:
- Fine the Clippers up to $7.5 million
- Fine Leonard up to $350,000
- Forfeit Clippers draft picks
- Suspend Ballmer or other Clipper personnel up to a year and fine them up to $1 million each
- Void Leonard’s contract and prohibit him from re-signing with the Clippers
- Require Leonard to return the money he received from Aspiration
– @PabloTorre gives the latest on his Clippers/Kawhi Leonard report.
“Even if we may not get an answer for months,” John Hollinger wrote. “The slow drip of circumstantial evidence continues to accumulate that the LA Clippers might have engaged in brazen salary cap circumvention by funding a no-show endorsement deal for All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard with a now-bankrupt company called Aspiration.”
Hollinger also wrote that some of these punishments are ‘more straightforward than others,‘ and even though fines could come without the league attorney’s finding wrongdoing, they would pale in comparison to any dollar amount that would affect Ballmer’s bank account.
Torre’s reports on a potential salary cap circumvention bring up memories of Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves in a similar situation from the 1999-2000 season. Minnesota signed Smith to a ‘secret deal‘ for more money than the salary cap would have allowed.
The Timberwolves were stripped of their first-round picks from 2001 to 2005 and were fined a total of $3.5 million for the violation of league rules.
“If there’s a way for this brother to get money guaranteed without working… I haven’t seen too many people as gifted in taking time off as Kawhi Leonard.”
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @ClutchPoints )
Leonard and Ballmer’s situation differs slightly, but the Smith-Twolves saga remains a relatively close benchmark for potential punishments for cap circumvention.
Silver, NBA Need Clear Evidence
Hollinger also explained the same sentiment Silver expressed in his press conference addressing the allegations. There is currently no ‘smoking gun‘ of any specific wrongdoing regarding Ballmer knowingly circumventing the salary cap for Leonard to be paid more by the company, Aspiration.
There is not, at least as of yet, a smoking gun that ties Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s and minority owner Dennis Wong’s investments in Aspiration to the payments the company made to Leonard, even if the timing and amounts of the investments are clearly suspicious,” Hollinger added. “The league’s attorneys may have to make some tough calls regarding the ultimate strength of their case.”
The onus is on the NBA league office to prove guilt, and so far, there isn’t clear evidence, though Torre may disagree.
“I think the goal of a full investigation is to find out if there really was impropriety,” Silver said. “In a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false. I would want anyone else in situations Mr. Ballmer is in now — and Kawhi, for that matter — to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me. We’re not a court of law at the end of the day, either.”
Leonard, Ballmer, and the Clippers are in a unique situation. They also aren’t helped by the fact that Torre is slowly releasing more and more evidence connecting the dots between the now-bankrupt Aspiration company, payments to Leonard, and seemingly knowledge from Ballmer.
But as of now, the NBA’s investigation will likely take months, and subsequent developments from all parties involved will continue.
Leonard and the new-look Clippers will begin their season on October 22nd against the Utah Jazz.
Kawhi Leonard, Clippers Potential Punishments By NBA Revealed