The Los Angeles Clippers have lost their owner for a year, $30 million, and five first-round draft picks following an NBA salary cap investigation tied to player Kawhi Leonard. A salary cap is the league-set ceiling on what a team can spend on player contracts in a given season. Owner Steve Ballmer is suspended, the fine lands on the franchise, and the five picks will be forfeited one per year starting in the 2029 draft.
Ballmer's one-year suspension removes him from involvement in team and league business. The $30 million is a direct financial penalty against the organization. The picks are the part with the longest reach. First-round selections are a team's primary means of adding young players through the annual draft, and losing five consecutive ones, from 2029 through 2033, reduces the Clippers' options for replenishing their roster through that channel.
The investigation centered on Kawhi Leonard's salary cap situation. The league's announcement does not detail what specific arrangement triggered the probe. The penalties are confirmed; what the league found has not been publicly detailed.
The first of the five forfeited picks comes out of the 2029 draft.