NBA Fines Clippers $30 Million and Strips Five First-Round Picks

The NBA has fined the LA Clippers $30 million and ordered the franchise to forfeit five consecutive first-round draft picks after finding violations of salary-cap circumvention rules linked to Kawhi Leonard. BBC Sport and The Guardian reported the sanctions on Wednesday, citing the league's findings following an independent investigation.

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The draft penalties cover one first-round selection in each year from 2029 through 2033. The Guardian reported that the decision leaves the Clippers without their natural first-round pick in any of those five drafts. The punishment also includes a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer from all league and team activities.

According to BBC Sport, the NBA said Ballmer knowingly sought to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities. The league also fined Leonard $700,000. The NBA described its inquiry as finding a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers, whom it identified as a previous offender of the salary-cap circumvention rules.

Senior club officials also received suspensions. President of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year, with BBC Sport reporting that the NBA cited her role in the arrangements and misleading statements made to investigators. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months, according to the league penalties reported by The Guardian and other accounts of the announcement.

The investigation centered on the Clippers' conduct around off-court income opportunities for Leonard while the franchise was pursuing and employing the star forward. The league's finding was that those arrangements breached rules designed to prevent teams from providing compensation outside a player's NBA contract. Leonard joined the Clippers as a free agent in 2019 after winning the championship with Toronto.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in the league statement that the collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is fundamental to the competition. He expressed deep disappointment with what he called flagrant violations and institutional and leadership failures. The scale of the fine, the loss of five draft choices and the suspensions make the ruling a significant long-term sporting and organizational penalty for the Clippers.