In theory, the Los Angeles Clippers trade for Kawhi Leonard was a logical leap forward for a franchise in search of relevance. In execution, it was a disaster likely to take the team back to its 1980s and 1990s to mid-2000s nadir.
The NBA announced Wednesday it was handing down one of the harshest penalties in league history after a lengthy investigation into Leonard's compensation after signing a pair of mega-deals with Los Angeles beginning in 2019. The Clippers were accused of circumventing the league's salary cap by offering Leonard what were effectively no-show endorsement deals, funneling money from the franchise to its star player through third parties. An independent investigation connected Leonard to four such deals, and the discipline
that followed was swift.
It included:
- the loss of five first-round draft picks (2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, per Shams Charania)
- a $30 million fine to team owner Steve Ballmer
- Ballmer's suspension from all league and team activities for one year
- and the barring of Leonard's business representative, Dennis Robertson, from any and all league negotiations for the rest of his life.
But this move didn't happen in a vacuum. Signing Leonard in the first place required moving mountains. He needed to see his hometown team's commitment to building a winner. That meant trading for Paul George, a deal that sent the following assets to the Oklahoma City Thunder:
- unprotected 2022, 2024 and 2026 picks
- unprotected 2021 and protected 2023 first round picks via the Miami Heat
- pick swaps in 2023 and 2025
- SG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- F Danilo Gallinari
That means, all told, acquiring Kawhi Leonard cost the Clippers and Steve Ballmer:
- a 2021 unprotected first round pick (via Miami Heat)
- their unprotected 2022 first round pick
- a protected 2023 first round pick (via Heat)
- a 2023 first round pick swap
- their unprotected 2024 first round pick
- a 2025 first round pick swap
- their unprotected 2026 first round pick
- their 2029 first round pick
- their 2030 first round pick
- their 2031 first round pick
- their 2032 first round pick
- their 2033 first round pick
- the 2024-2025 NBA MVP (Gilgeous-Alexander)
- the 2025-2026 NBA MVP (Gilgeous-Alexander, again)
- and Danilo Gallinari (18.7 points per game in his lone season with the Thunder.
Those vacated picks are probably going to be pretty valuable -- it's going to be harder than ever to attract free agents knowing there's no inexpensive help on rookie contracts to help carry the load. So, after giving up 10 first round picks, a two-time MVP and two pick swaps, the Clippers got:
- four All-Star seasons of Kawhi Leonard (in seven years)
- three All-Star seasons of Paul George (in five years)
- and three playoff series wins, all coming before the Western Conference Finals.
That's devastating, and we haven't yet seen the full effect of it. This could be the NBA's equivalent to the NCAA giving SMU the death penalty in the 1980s. And, barring a stunning turnaround, may be the worst deal in NBA history.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: How bad was the Kawhi Leonard trade for Clippers after massive NBA penalty?
