Clippers Hit With $30 Million Fine, Lose Five First-Round Draft Picks For Violating Salary Cap Circumvention Rules

Hot damn! Talk about dropping the hammer!

The NBA announced Wednesday that the Los Angeles Clippers are being knocked with severe punishments — a $30 million fine, losing five first-round draft picks and owner Steve Ballmer being suspended for one year — after being in violation of the salary cap circumvention rules in a situation that involved superstar Kawhi Leonard.

Read more Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Latest Attempt At Ending Birthright Citizenship

Issuing a statement, the league said that the investigation, which lasted around a year, “found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules.” (RELATED: ‘We’ll Definitely Be A Better Location’: Houston Mayor Throws Shade At Austin In Battle For NHL Expansion Franchise)

The Clippers have to forfeit five first-round draft picks, which are for 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, and have been fined a total of $30 million. For one year, Ballmer is suspended from all activities that involve the NBA or his franchise “for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” and the league said there were other issues as well.

Gillian Zucker, the president of business operations for the Clippers, has been suspended for one year without pay. Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations, received a six-month suspension without pay.

Leonard avoided a suspension, however, did receive a fine of $700,000 from the league.

Read more Cash-Strapped Blue Cities Stand To Collect Billions From Climate Suits Headed To The Supreme Court

This is the closest thing to an institutional death penalty the modern NBA has ever handed down.

Stripping the organization of five consecutive first-round draft picks completely cripples the Clippers’ future through 2033. In a league built on cost-controlled talent and draft equity, Los Angeles has essentially been forced into the NBA’s equivalent of the Dark Ages.

Between the mountain of draft capital shipped away years ago to land Paul George and now this unprecedented raid by the league office, the Clippers won’t control their own pipeline for the better part of a decade.

It actually reminds me a lot of what happened to SMU football back in the 80’s:

Remember when the Clippers were always bad? How they were the joke of the NBA? … They’re back.

Read more Second-Wave Feminist Activist Gloria Steinem Dies At 92