The Los Angeles Lakers were heavily in the race to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency in 2019, but the star instead chose to sign with the cross-town rival Los Angeles Clippers.
However, while in the moment, the Lakers missed out on a massive name, the team is now on the winning end of that deal, as the NBA most recently announced historic punishments for the Clippers after being found guilty of salary cap circumvention and violating the collective bargaining agreement by paying Leonard ‘under the table.’
The punishment includes a $30 million fine and five first-round draft picks being taken away from the Clippers.
As there was a significant chance the two-time Finals MVP could have signed with the Lakers, there is a non-zero chance the Purple and Gold would have agreed to signing Leonard under shady circumstances, meaning the team narrowly avoided one of the biggest scandals and subsequent punishments in league history.
Lakers Nearly Landed Kawhi Leonard, Could Have Been Involved In Punishment Clippers Are Facing
After winning the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors, Leonard opted for free agency and was reportedly deciding between the Lakers and Clippers on the next team he would join.
While the Lakers were heavily in the race, he instead chose the other team. However, by joining owner Steve Ballmer, it’s now been confirmed that the Clippers brought Leonard in by circumventing the salary cap and giving the star money through outside deals he never played a part in.
On Wednesday, Shams Charania announced the league had finally made a decision on the year-long investigation based on allegations made by investigative reporter Pablo Torre.
“BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN,” he wrote in a post on X.
A $30 million fine? Five first-round draft picks? That could have nearly been the Lakers. The Clippers will likely be in the gutter for a long time, as those punishments have never been seen before in league history.
Ballmer is also forced to be away from the team for a year. Other high-level team staff are suspended without pay for six months to a year.
Imagine if that happened to the Lakers? Especially amid all the current ownership drama. The team would immediately fall to the bottom of the league, but narrowly missed out, as losing Leonard in free agency has turned into a massive blessing in disguise.
Jeanie Buss Knew All Along
However, though the Purple and Gold thought they had a chance to land Leonard, it seems as though former controlling owner Jeanie Buss knew what was going on the entire time.
Buss’ thoughts on Leonard’s free agency have since resurfaced, and though now nearly seven years old, they paint a detailed picture of what has now been proven true by the league’s investigation.
“A source with knowledge of the Kawhi-Lakers talks said Robertson made those requests repeatedly to owner Jeanie Buss over the course of three phone calls that spanned several days, and that she made it clear that such perks were illegal and would not be considered,” Sam Amick wrote for The Athletic in 2019.
“There was even a question raised by Robertson about why Lakers legend Magic Johnson had been given a small piece of Lakers ownership so many years ago, with Buss explaining that the two situations couldn’t have been more different – even beyond the fact that one was legal and the other was not.”
More recently, while discussing the Clippers and Leonard’s punishments, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made it clear that at least Buss and the Lakers knew what was going on at the time.
“Now, I know his uncle, Dennis Robertson, has been banned. It should be for life. It should be for life, because this man, as Jeanie Buss has intimated in the past with the Los Angeles Lakers, as numerous people have intimated having done business with him, he doesn’t mind cutting corners and circumventing whatever rules or regulations,” he said.
Amid all this drama in what has been one of the biggest stories in the sports world over the past few years, it was almost the Lakers.
“When Leonard became a free agent in 2019, his representatives, including his uncle Dennis Robertson, asked the Los Angeles Lakers for several impermissible benefits, according to multiple league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could candidly discuss the situation,” Dan Woike wrote for The Athletic in August of 2026. “Those included the use of private aircraft, a home, guaranteed off-court earnings and even an ownership stake in the team. The Lakers, according to those sources, informed Leonard’s team that those requests violated the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement and amounted to salary cap circumvention.”
However, missing out on Leonard in free agency proved to be the better outcome, as the NBA has now come down with massive punishments for what the Clippers have been proven guilty of doing.
Lakers Dodge Historic Scandal As Kawhi Leonard, Clippers Punishments Announced