The NBA announced its decision to punish the Clippers: a $30 million fine and the forfeiture of five first-round picks.

September 5th - The NBA announced a severe penalty for the Los Angeles Clippers. The reason is that the team violated salary cap avoidance rules in the Kawhi Leonard case.

The Clippers will forfeit five future first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033 and pay a $ 30 million fine. Owner Steve Ballmer is banned from league and team activities for one year, President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months, and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year.

The NBA stated that after nearly a year of investigation, it found a series of misconduct and multiple serious violations by the Clippers. The New York law firm Wachtell Lipton led the investigation and released a summary of its findings.

The league determined that Ballmer knowingly assisted Leonard in obtaining off-court income opportunities and approved business transactions related to Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC . Leonard was fined $ 700,000 for pressuring the team through his uncle and former agent, Dennis Robertson , to obtain off-court income opportunities, and for failing to repay personal expenses incurred by the team on his behalf, but was not suspended.

The incident stems from a $ 28 million endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration in September 2025. The Clippers denied the league's findings, claiming the investigation was biased and stating they would challenge it through all available channels. Ballmer's lawyers went further, calling the punishment " grossly unfair . "

Leonard stated that he takes full responsibility for the misjudgment of those around him, and that the signing of the contract and related agreements were all done in good faith, and he was unaware that anyone intended to circumvent the salary cap.

In addition, the Clippers and related personnel will be subject to five years of league compliance oversight, and Robertson has been banned from doing business with NBA teams for five years. The trade involving Leonard and the Raptors this summer was previously suspended due to an investigation, which is expected to be completed after the investigation concludes.

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