After nearly a year of investigation, the NBA officially handed down its punishment on the Los Angeles Clippers for the situation involving Kawhi Leonard. The league concluded that the Clippers set up a $28 million "no-show job" endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration, paying him outside his NBA salary — which broke league rules. As punishment, the Clippers lost five future first-round picks and were fined $30 million, while owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for a year.
Leonard, meanwhile, got off mostly scot-free, hit with just a $700,000 fine and avoiding anything more serious. But according to Marc Stein, the Clippers could be eyeing their own form of payback for Leonard now. Stein reported that the Clippers could be holding off on trading Leonard to the Raptors — a deal initially agreed upon back in June — and potentially "considering something even more drastic" as a way to spite him for accepting the NBA's punishment rather than pursuing an appeal.
More news: Former Big Ten Star Clears Path to Return to College After Brief NBA Stint More news: NCAA Issues Major Rule Change After Michigan-Western Michigan Controversy The Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks to Los Angeles in exchange for Leonard, who's coming off a career year with the Clippers but hadn't received a new deal past this upcoming season. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the deal couldn't be finalized until after the investigation concluded. Now that checkpoint has passed, but the Clippers clearly believe Leonard got off too easy — and appear to want to take matters into their own hands.
Leonard has made it clear he wants to be in Toronto, and the Raptors have said they're willing to give him the long-term extension he's been searching for. The most realistic path for the Clippers, if they really wanted to stick it to him, would be to void the trade entirely, keeping Leonard in LA against his wishes. That said, the Clippers wouldn't have much to gain from keeping a disgruntled star on a team already projected to finish with one of the lowest win totals next season — especially compared to acquiring future assets, which are now even more valuable given what the team just lost in the NBA investigation.
More news: Patrick Mahomes’ Week 1 Return Raises ‘Significant Concerns’ for Ex-NFL QB
Extract — continue reading at the source.
