The NBA issued stiff penalties for the Los Angeles Clippers, team owner Steve Ballmer and their former star forward Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday, Sept. 2, after an 11-month investigation found they violated salary cap circumvention rules.
The league levied fines of $30 million for the Clippers and $700,000 fine for Leonard, who denied any knowledge of wrongdoing but said he will accept the penalties.
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Additionally, the NBA suspended Ballmer from all league activities for the next year; team president of business operations Gillian Zucker for one year without pay; and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months without pay.
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) lifts up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) lifts up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23), guard Kyle Lowry (7), forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and center Serge Ibaka (9) celebrate after beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) celebrates winning the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP after beating the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka (9) celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) celebrate winning the NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors after Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on June 13, 2019.
(Sergio Estrada, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena in Tornto, Ontario, Canada, on June 10, 2019.
(Nathan Denette, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second half in Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. The Raptors defeated the Warriors 123-109 to lead the series 2-1.
(Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dunks for a basket past Phildelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in game one of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena.
(Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports)
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Kawhi Leonard is reuniting with the Raptors. Relive their title run
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) answers questions during media day at Scotiabank Arena in Tornto, Ontario, Canada on Sept. 24, 2018.
(Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports)
“I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in statement. “The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
The Clippers denied the league’s findings, calling it “a biased investigation” and said they would challenge the findings and punishments.
Here’s what the Clippers’ draft pick situation looks like for the foreseeable future.
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Clippers first-round picks
The Clippers will forfeit five first-round draft picks in the coming years.
Which draft picks did Clippers lose?
The Clippers lost their first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.
Can the Clippers draft in 2027?
Technically, yes, via a pick swap. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the right to swap with the Clippers if LA’s draft position, based on record and lottery results, is more favorable than either OKC’s slot or Denver’s pick, which is top-five protected.
Lorenzo Reyes contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clippers’ punishment forces forfeiture of first-round draft picks. What’s left?
