According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Clippers will forfeit their first-round picks from 2029 through 2033, which absolutely guts their draft capital for the next decade.It’s a punishment so severe that the NBA has rarely, if ever, dropped the hammer this hard.The NBA cited "a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations," determining that team officials systematically coordinated off-the-books arrangements rather than making an isolated error.BIG PICTURE DETAILSLos Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, looks toward the scoreboard during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Inglewood, California, on May 1, 2025.(AP Photo/Mark J.
Terrill, file)The closest precedent came in 2000, when the NBA voided Minnesota’s contracts with Joe Smith, stripped the Timberwolves of five first-round picks and fined the team $3.5 million over a secret agreement involving the forward.The Clippers now face an even broader punishment, including multiple executive suspensions and five years of league monitoring.Ballmer is suspended for one year from all league and team activities.Investigators determined that the billionaire owner knowingly helped Leonard pursue off-court income opportunities, approved an arrangement tied to Leonard’s Aspiration endorsement deal and failed to ensure the Clippers complied with salary-cap rules.NFL FINES SAINTS AND COWBOYS $500K FOR PRACTICE BRAWL, BUT FIGHTS WON'T STOP UNLESS PLAYERS GET FINEDPresident of Business Operations Gillian Zucker received a one-year unpaid suspension after investigators deemed her primarily responsible for the improper deals and accused her of providing false and misleading statements during the probe.Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits courtside before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Intuit Dome on April 5, 2025 in Inglewood, California.
(Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension for his involv...