Owner Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers -- along with Kawhi Leonard -- have been given a long list of penalties after the NBA's investigation into salary cap circumvention ended. The Raptors' trade for Leonard can go through, Leonard has already spoken out after the ruling, but... is there more coming about all this?
Specifically: Can the Clippers appeal the decision? And will they, if they're allowed to? That's the part that's a bit confusing, and we'll update this post when we know more.
At the moment, Front Office Sports reports "There will be no appeal, as the league and union agreed to the punishments." But reporter Marc Stein noted in a tweet posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it's "not yet known what appeal measures, if any, are
available to the Clippers:
The 2029 unprotected first-round pick from Indiana — acquired in the Ivica Zubac trade in February — is among the five first-rounders stripped from the LA Clippers through today’s NBA-imposed sanctions.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 2, 2026
Not yet known what appeal measures, if any, are available to the Clippers. https://t.co/raZwn8npg2
If it's true that they can't appeal, it's quite the punishment for the franchise.
What the Clippers said about appealing after the NBA investigation penalties
Statement from the Clippers: We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence. What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today… https://t.co/HDgzD45qC3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2026
Very much worth noting here is that last paragraph:
We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Can the Clippers appeal NBA penalties after Kawhi Leonard investigation ends?
