NBA Fines LA Clippers $30 Million, Strips 5 First-Round Picks for Salary Cap Circumvention in Kawhi Leonard Recruitment

According to the NBA's official statement, the Los Angeles Clippers were penalized $30 million and owner Steve Ballmer suspended for one year for systematically violating the league's salary cap rules when recruiting star player Kawhi Leonard. The team will forfeit first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033, including an unprotected pick acquired from the Indiana Pacers. Leonard was fined $700,000, and his former business representative Dennis Robertson was banned from dealing with NBA teams for five years.

The violations involved Clippers executives arranging fake endorsement contracts between Leonard and companies affiliated with the team. Leonard's uncle, acting as his agent, signed a $28 million deal with an environmental company owned by Ballmer, through which Leonard received payment without providing corresponding services—effectively circumventing salary cap restrictions. Wachtell Lipton law firm's year-long investigation confirmed the team systematically used such schemes to pay Leonard beyond his official contract.