Kawhi Leonard is not the first NBA player to find himself at the center of a salary cap circumvention scandal. Joe Smith knows that better than almost anyone.
More than 25 years before the NBA punished the Los Angeles Clippers and Leonard for improper off-court compensation, Smith was at the heart of the league’s most infamous cap case. Minnesota secretly promised him a lucrative future contract while signing him to below-market deals, prompting then-commissioner David Stern to fine the Timberwolves $3.5 million and initially strip them of five first-round picks. Two of those selections were later restored, leaving Minnesota without its first-rounders in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
So when Smith examined the NBA’s ruling against Leonard and the Clippers, he did so from a perspective few former players can match.
“I can rock with that,” Smith told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “I can rock with that.”
Smith called the punishment “pretty fair,” even though Leonard avoided the kind of basketball consequences Smith once faced.
That distinction matters now in Toronto.
Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 but was not suspended and his contract was not voided. The Clippers, meanwhile, were fined $30 million and stripped of five consecutive first-round picks from 2029 through 2033.
Joe Smith Sees Major Difference in Kawhi Leonard Case
Smith’s experience was considerably harsher.
The NBA voided his Timberwolves contract after determining that Minnesota and Smith had entered into a secret agreement designed to circumvent the salary cap. Smith eventually left for Detroit after the ruling changed the economics of staying in Minnesota.
“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,” Smith told Scoop B.
Leonard does not face either consequence.
The NBA instead directed most of its punishment toward the Clippers. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months and business operations president Gillian Zucker for one year. Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s former business manager and uncle, was banned from conducting business with NBA teams for five years.
That last part stood out to Smith.
“When I went through, my agents never got anything handed out to them,” Smith said. “They were still able to represent players.”
Leonard Avoids Suspension Before Toronto Return
For the Toronto Raptors, Smith’s most important takeaway was his belief that Leonard should not lose games over the scandal.
“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.”
Toronto had placed its blockbuster trade for Leonard on hold after the NBA warned the Raptors they would assume the risk of any punishment attached to him. The agreed deal sends Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-rounders in 2030 and 2033, and a 2027 first-round swap to Los Angeles.
The ruling answered the question Toronto had been waiting on.
Leonard has to pay. The Clippers will pay considerably more.
But unlike Smith in 2000, Leonard does not have his contract voided or sit out games.
That leaves his path back to Toronto intact.
Kawhi Leonard Gets Verdict From Former No. 1 Pick in Cap Scandal