From California Post · · 1m 30s
Silver closes book on Clippers salary cap scandal
NBA commissioner says harsh penalties for Kawhi Leonard scheme are final, with no draft picks coming back.
In brief
NBA commissioner says harsh penalties for Kawhi Leonard scheme are final, with no draft picks coming back. The Clippers will lose five first-round picks and pay $30 million for arranging off-court income for Kawhi Leonard through team business partners. Originally reported by California Post.
No more penalties coming
Commissioner Adam Silver said the Clippers' punishments are final. He doesn't expect any further sanctions from the salary cap scandal.
“The discipline is final.”
What the Clippers did wrong
An independent investigation found the team violated salary cap rules by setting up off-court income for Kawhi Leonard with four companies that did business with the Clippers.
The staggering punishments
The Clippers were fined $30 million and stripped of five first-round picks from 2029-33. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year.
Leonard and his uncle pay
Kawhi Leonard paid $700,000 in restitution. His uncle Dennis Robertson, who was his business manager, is banned from NBA dealings for five years.
Trade finally goes through
Leonard was traded back to Toronto on Monday. The deal was agreed to in late June but delayed because of the investigation.
Timberwolves precedent cited
Silver said the league looked at when Minnesota lost five picks in 2000 for salary cap circumvention with Joe Smith. Minnesota eventually got two picks back.
Fans pay the price too
Silver acknowledged the difficulty of punishing teams when fans suffer too. But he said competitive consequences are necessary to deter other teams from breaking rules.
“I don't think in any way we've done permanent damage to this franchise. No question, this is a setback for the team.”
Here's the gist
The Clippers will lose five first-round picks and pay $30 million for arranging off-court income for Kawhi Leonard through team business partners.
