NBA hits Clippers with record $30m fine and draft pick forfeiture over Leonard deal

The NBA fined the LA Clippers $30 million, the largest penalty in league history, for salary cap violations involving Kawhi Leonard. The team also forfeits five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from league activities for a year. Leonard himself was fined $700,000 and said he accepts responsibility.

The NBA's month-long investigation uncovered what the league described as a pattern of misconduct, with the Clippers identified as a prior offender of salary-cap circumvention rules. Beyond the record fine and draft forfeitures, the franchise will operate under a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league, with both organizational and personnel conduct subject to review.

Leonard, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, spent seven seasons with the Clippers after joining in 2019 before departing earlier this year. The league's report indicated he pressured the organization to secure off-court income opportunities, with sponsorship agreements at the center of the probe. Team president Gillian Zucker's year-long unpaid suspension stems from providing misleading statements to investigators during the inquiry.