Good morning! I'm excited to be back after a few days off.
This is just a brief return before the weekend, but it couldn't have come at a better time after the NBA finally made a ruling in its investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers for salary cap circumvention... and OK, Adam Silver! I see you! Trying to win back some PR points with a heavy hand, eh? That'll show 'em.
The NBA is taking five first-round picks from the Clippers from 2029-2033, suspending team owner Steve Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker each for a year, suspending president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months, fining the team $30 million, fining Kawhi Leonard $700,000 and banning Leonard's "Uncle Dennis" Robertson from conducting
business with the league for five years.
VICTORY LAP: Pablo Torre's 1-emoji response to Clippers penalties
Let's just get this out the way: the fines are the lightest of all the penalties. Ballmer, who's estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $156.3 billion, won't miss that $30 million as much as he'll miss being around his beloved team as the most present and animated owner in sports. And what's $700,000 to Leonard after he already made millions in the endorsements at the root of the investigation? This whole situation has been a net-positive for him.
Those draft picks, though, aren't nothing to a Clippers team already trending towards being one of the league's worst in the next few years. They'll wish they had those picks when they go 20-62 in 2028 with no high-lottery picks coming to save them. All considered, the business of Leonard will have cost the Clippers 10 first-rounders, two first-round swaps and two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. All that, and they didn't even win a championship.
KAWHI SPEAKS: Leonard's releases statement on NBA's punishment
And yet, this could have been so much worse for the Clippers, who wrote a letter to the NBA saying they were "exploring every legal remedy to address this gross injustice." In my opinion, that would be a mistake. I tend to agree with ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon, who believe the Clippers should cut their losses.
Brian Windhorst & Tim McMahon say the clippers should accept the penalty:
— JayTakes (@SportsWithJay0) September 3, 2026
“All these penalties we’re talking about are at least 5 first round picks, at least $30 million. There’s a very important line here, they are continuing to receive information relevant to the… pic.twitter.com/QWIuSB0tfa
"Here's my unsolicited advice to the Clippers organization: accept the penalty and ask for one provision, that no more penalties are levied," Windhorst said on his podcast.
Though the NBA's punishment was heavy, the league didn't touch the Clippers' 2027 first-round pick or the 2031 and 2033 picks the team received from Toronto in this summer's trade for Leonard. But taking those picks might not be off the table. In its statement, the NBA said "Wachtell Lipton continues to receive information relevant to the investigation, and the league will consider further action as appropriate."
NOTHING FOR ZUBAC: Clippers forfeiting 2029 pick from trade
From a distance, the NBA's investigation seemed to be fairly thorough, and there is no appeal process for the Clippers. So, accepting the penalty that's already on the table seems to be the best path forward if they want it to go away without getting worse. I don't see where fighting the league is a winning battle.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Clippers' severe cap circumvention penalties could have been worse
