{"id":880556,"date":"2026-09-05T05:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/880556\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T05:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:26:09","slug":"draymond-green-criticizes-nba-salary-cap-amid-clippers-kawhi-leonard-circumvention-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/880556\/","title":{"rendered":"Draymond Green Criticizes NBA Salary Cap Amid Clippers, Kawhi Leonard Circumvention Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shortly after the league announced the punishment<\/a> for the Clippers<\/a> and Kawhi Leonard<\/a> for their salary cap circumvention controversy, the common media narrative was that while the Clippers got the short end of the stick, Kawhi Leonard got off relatively unscathed for a scheme in which he benefited most<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, Draymond Green<\/a>, the Warriors\u2019<\/a> veteran, believes the league was right in not suspending Kawhi Leonard while also raising questions about the salary cap system.<\/p>\n

Green went so far as to say the NBA was too harsh to fine the Clippers $30 million, despite their owner, Steve Ballmer<\/a>, having a net worth of over $150 billion.<\/p>\n

\u201cKawhi Leonard has to pay $700,000 essentially in restitution for what happened in the deal, and Kawhi came out and said, \u2018I didn\u2019t know anything about this,\u2019 and I\u2019m taking his word for it,\u201d said<\/a> Green, claiming that he believes Kawhi Leonard was unaware of the wrongdoings of his uncle.<\/p>\n

Despite claims<\/a> and credible evidence<\/a> suggesting Kawhi Leonard was aware of the deals, Draymond Green decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Daktronics is a real company. If you got a deal coming in from Daktronics, you\u2019re not running to your representation like, \u2018Yo, how I get this?\u2019 Like, you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, I got a deal with Daktronics. And I know that\u2019s a very reputable company.\u2019 Look, in any arena, they\u2019re probably doing the scoreboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you know, I\u2019m taking Kawhi\u2019s word for what it is, and I\u2019m happy the team got the bulk of the penalty and not Kawhi. You know, we heard a lot that, you know, Kawhi may be suspended and all. I\u2019m happy he didn\u2019t get suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, as I said, address the issues, the issues of the salary cap. I think that\u2019s what comes out of this,\u201d Green said before he began questioning the NBA\u2019s salary cap rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is there a salary cap? Why are guys being prevented from making money from team sponsors or league sponsors or whoever else? And we talk about how we\u2019re in a player-centric league, that is player-focused, that is player-driven, that, you know, has the best benefit, best interest for the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd here\u2019s a situation where a guy can make $20 to $30 million extra dollars, and we\u2019re like, \u201cOh yeah, you\u2019re in trouble.\u201d I\u2019m happy Kawhi didn\u2019t get the bulk of this punishment. I think that is absolutely beautiful. I think it\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c$ 30 million, I know everybody\u2019s like, \u2018Man, $30 million is a slap on the wrist for Steve Ballmer. He was worth $180 billion.\u2019 In theory, that makes sense. Except it doesn\u2019t, because $30 million for you and $30 million for me and $30 million for him, it\u2019s all the same $30 million. It\u2019s spent the same way. Whether I spend it, you spend it, or he spends it. $30 million is $30 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a billion dollars, let alone 180 or 200 billion dollars. So I can\u2019t really tell you from experience. But I can tell you that I don\u2019t want to spend $50,000. I don\u2019t want to give up $50,000. So it\u2019s all relative, I suppose, except $30 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate when somebody\u2019s like, \u2018Yo, it\u2019s $50,000 to you. That ain\u2019t nothing.\u2019 Yes, it is. It\u2019s $50,000. So $30 million is a steep fine,\u201d Green further explained.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019mma tell you what\u2019s even going to bother Steve Ballmer more than that $30 million: being away from that team for an entire year. That\u2019s going to bother him. If you haven\u2019t noticed Steve Ballmer, this is what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs he got, he bought the Clippers, and he\u2019s been all in. Like, this is his life. And so I think that\u2019s going to bother him more than the $30 million. However, no one wants to lose $30 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, here\u2019s where the NBA dropped the hammer. Five first-round picks. That includes the picks the Clippers just picked up in the trade from Cleveland with Darius Garland and James Harden. That includes all of the assets that they\u2019ve acquired; if I\u2019m not mistaken, it includes some of the picks from the Zubac trade as well, you know. So, it sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd those five first-round picks, that\u2019ll set you back. Now, you look at it, and you say, \u2018Yeah, that does suck. They\u2019re in Los Angeles. They should be able to get free agents.\u2019 It\u2019s not the same as being with the Lakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George did sign there as free agents. So, it\u2019s proven that, I mean, Jerry West, the great Jerry West, is no longer here, which I think was key behind those guys coming here. But it\u2019s proven that they can get top-level talent in their prime outside of the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut losing five first-round picks, that\u2019s where the hammer is dropped. That\u2019s where it\u2019s like, it\u2019s crippling to a franchise, to an organization. Now, as I said, this is a team that is based in Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this is the Indiana Pacers losing five first-round picks or, you know, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for that matter, or, you know, and what I\u2019m getting at is these smaller-market teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s these smaller-market teams and you\u2019re losing all your picks, man, it\u2019s like the death penalty in college where they start snatching all your, you know, everything\u2014banners and scholarships\u2014and they snatch it. It\u2019s similar to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so that\u2019s where I would say the NBA dropped the biggest hammer: snatching those five first-round picks. That is completely debilitating to a franchise, especially a franchise that just went through a six- or seven-year period of thinking they\u2019re right there with the possibility of winning, and now you\u2019re in a space where you have to reset\u2014just got a top-five pick in Keaton Wagler. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in this space where you have to reset, and all of a sudden you have to do that after losing five first-round draft picks. That\u2019s tough. Um, that\u2019s going to be tough to get over, and it may put the Clippers in purgatory for a long time to come,\u201d Draymond Green further added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes you think about certain players like Darius Garland- how are they going to look at being in this place now? Great coach like Ty Lue- how does he look at being in this place now? Like, it\u2019s going to dampen the vibe around the Clippers. It\u2019s going to really limit how much they can improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, all of a sudden you have a bad year, you have no draft pick. Now, here\u2019s one thing I will say. Usually in these situations where draft picks get snatched, uh, you look up, and it\u2019s just 29 first-round picks. I think the NBA needs to do something about that. And I think the NBA needs to do something about that for a few reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one, it\u2019s not fair to guys who have the opportunity to be one of 60, and then all of a sudden teams lose three picks throughout the course of the 30-team system, and you get three picks snatched, and then there are 57 draft picks this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not fair to three guys who can get their name called and who\u2019ve worked their whole lives for an opportunity to be one of 60. I think that sucks for guys who\u2019ve worked their a\u2013 off. I think this sucks for the NBA as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think at some point the NBA has to figure out a system where, when a pick gets snatched, maybe it goes into a lottery among certain teams. Maybe you can do something so that those picks don\u2019t go somewhere else. But just getting rid of the pick as a whole, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s great for the NBA. You want 60 draft picks. That\u2019s your draft. That\u2019s what you market. It\u2019s 60 picks, and you look up, and a team screwed up, and they lose the pick, and it\u2019s just gone into thin air. I think those picks should go elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s something that Commissioner Silver should look into because those picks evaporate into thin air. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair for anyone, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the best move for the league. I think ultimately someone in our league, obviously starting at the top with our incredible commissioner, Adam Silver, needs to take a deep look at that when they snatch those picks away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do they go? But just letting them evaporate into thin air, I disagree with that. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the best thing for the NBA. And it\u2019s obviously not the best thing for young guys who\u2019ve worked their entire lives to put themselves in a position on draft night to hear their name as one of 60 being called.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, consider this. Usually, we see these picks get snatched in the second round. What if the Clippers and that\u2019s a top-five pick? Could you imagine being a guy who could have been the fifth pick and now you\u2019re sixth because five didn\u2019t have a pick?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s great. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s great for the NBA at all. And I think the league and the NBPA need to come up with a system where, if that pick gets snatched away from one team, it somehow ends up with another team. But I don\u2019t agree with the evaporation of the pick,\u201d Draymond Green stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeedless to say, back to the Kawhi Leonard thing, or the Kawhi Leonard Clippers scandal, before we get out of here. Kawhi\u2019s uncle, Dennis Robertson, who he fired within the last year, is banned from any NBA dealings for the next five years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you know, they dropped some strenuous penalties, and, when we\u2019ve seen these crazy situations dating back to the Donald Sterling situation, where it was kind of Adam Silver\u2019s first thing he had to deal with in a heavy way as commissioner, I remember that I was playing in the game when all that stuff happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDating back to that, Adam has shown that when it\u2019s time to lay the hammer, he will lay the hammer. And he did that today or yesterday- excuse me- by laying the hammer down in this Clippers scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that that\u2019s behind us, they say the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto will be finalized. Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick headed to the Clippers. That will be finalized in the next few days. They can head to camp. We can all head to camp this month and get the year started,\u201d Green concluded.<\/p>\n

In summary, the Warriors veteran believes that while the league was right not to suspend Kawhi Leonard, he questions the rationale for maintaining the integrity of the salary cap system when it is clearly meant to promote an equal level of competition.<\/p>\n

The whole reason behind the salary cap system is to prevent teams from using market leverage to convince players to join them while completely ruining competitive balance for small-market teams.<\/p>\n

Moreover, they have a major decision on their hands when it comes to deciding what to do with the picks that the Clippers have forfeited.<\/p>\n

Several incredible ideas, like giving the next year\u2019s pick to the winner of the NBA Cup each year, have been floated around the league, giving other teams a chance to battle for the first-round pick the Clippers have forfeited.<\/p>\n

And while that will be must-see TV, announcing something like that will effectively destroy all possible relief for the Clippers, who can still take this matter to court. And if the court finds the league\u2019s findings invalid, the league could be liable for damages to the Clippers.<\/p>\n

Additionally, we have also seen in the past, when the Timberwolves faced a similar situation, that the league office also looks at potentially returning the picks to the franchise over time. They returned two of the five picks that they made the Timberwolves forfeit in the Joe Smith controversy.<\/p>\n

Since the league will now keep a closer eye on the Clippers\u2019 day-to-day operations, they could decide to return the picks based on the franchise\u2019s operational improvements. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the league office answers this next big question:f what to do with the Clippers\u2019 forfeited picks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shortly after the league announced the punishment for the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for their salary cap circumvention…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":880557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-880556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/880557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}