Just 71 days ago, the Los Angeles Clippers selected star All-American guard Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 overall pick.
A lot has changed in the roughly two months since they made that pick, however, and right now is not a great time to be a Clippers fan.
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There have been speculations for a long time that the team’s owner Steve Ballmer and the organization as a whole did some shady things to circumvent the salary cap and sign forward Kawhi Leonard.
These theories started to gain even more traction this summer, and just today, Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA levied their official punishments.
The Clippers will lose five first-round picks, be fined $30 million, Ballmer will be suspended for a year and Leonard will be forced to pay back $700,000 in restitution.
And now, enter Wagler, caught in the middle of it all.
The 19-year-old former Illini is weathering a heck of a storm for his first year in the league, something that could end up having an impact on his rookie season.
But Illinois fans and Clippers fans agree on one thing, they’re hopeful that it won’t.
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