Leonard himself was forced to give back $700,000, a pittance considering that he\u2019s made more than $378.3 million in 14 NBA seasons, and (officially, at least) $293,804,376 in seven seasons as a Clipper. He\u2019s due $50.3 million in 2026-27, which presumably will be paid (along with a contract extension) by the Toronto Raptors now that the trade announced in July \u2013 Leonard for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a draft pick haul<\/a> including unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and \u201933 \u2013 will go through.<\/p>\n Oh, and there is this: \u201cUncle Dennis\u201d Robertson, who has been negotiating Kawhi\u2019s deals \u2013 and supposedly asked the Lakers for all kinds of extra benefits during Kawhi\u2019s free agency in the summer of 2019 only to be told they were impermissible<\/a> \u2013 is \u201cbanned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel for a period of five years,\u201d according to the NBA\u2019s statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t say he couldn\u2019t attend Kawhi\u2019s family functions, so there\u2019s that.<\/p>\n But all of this remains a head-scratcher: All of this effort, all of these furtive negotiations with outside companies \u2013 in addition to Aspiration and Daktronics as already reported, Boingo Wireless and Lockton Insurance assisted with the salary cap circumvention according to the NBA\u2019s summary<\/a> \u2013 and what was the result?<\/p>\n No championships, one Western Conference finals appearance, 331 of 574 possible regular-season games that Leonard actually played in during those seven seasons and 35 of 50 playoff games. In 2021, when the Clippers reached the conference finals and lost to Phoenix in six games<\/a>, Leonard hurt his knee in the previous round against Utah and wasn\u2019t available for the Phoenix series.<\/p>\n Yes, injuries happen. But wasn\u2019t that something that \u201cload management\u201d was supposed to prevent?<\/p>\n (Give Leonard credit for the introduction of that term into the sports lexicon. It was when he was with Toronto, and was given the occasional game off in order to remain healthy, that we first heard the term, which became so pervasive that the NBA created participation standards for its postseason awards.)<\/p>\n And no, this isn\u2019t meant to dunk on Kawhi. The man had just come off his second NBA Finals MVP award in leading Toronto to its first championship in 2019, which was perfect timing heading into free agency.<\/p>\n The Clippers won that competition, if you\u2019ll remember. They not only went to the mat financially, more than we knew as it turns out, but they accommodated Kawhi by trading five first-round picks \u2013 as well as future league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, now a two-time league MVP and the 2025 Finals MVP \u2013 to Oklahoma City for Paul George.<\/p>\n Remember that initial news conference with Ballmer, Leonard and George at a recreation center in South L.A.? Remember Ballmer bellowing that it was now \u201call about the Larry O\u2019B?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Empty promises. Instead, think of it this way: Twice in a decade Kawhi cost the Clippers five first-round picks. Clearly, this is the gift that keeps on taking.<\/p>\n And this might be the most amazing part of Wednesday\u2019s events: Rather than accepting the league\u2019s punishment the Clippers remain dug in, despite the findings of <\/a>this elongated investigation.<\/p>\n The team issued a statement<\/a> Wednesday that \u201cvehemently\u201d rejected the league\u2019s version and indicated the team intended to challenge the punishment. And an additional letter<\/a> to Commissioner Adam Silver from attorney David N. Kelley of O\u2019Melveny and Myers, which characterized the investigation as a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d and \u201cflawed from the outset\u201d included this passage:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 (You) represented that \u201cdue process\u201d and \u201ca fundamental sense of fairness\u201d would govern the process. You made clear that the \u201cburden [would be] on the league\u201d to prove any violation through actual evidence, not \u201cmere appearances.\u201d And you concluded by promising that everyone involved in the investigation would be treated \u201cthe same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, none of those promises have been kept.\u201d<\/p>\n And, Kelley concluded: \u201cWe are exploring every legal remedy to address this gross injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n It likely won\u2019t be an arbitration hearing, since the Players Association signed off on Silver\u2019s decision \u2013 which helps explain why Leonard was assessed a mere $700,000, with no suspension or expulsion. The player will always have a strong advocate in the NBA Players Association, and Silver probably figured this wasn\u2019t worth opening a larger dispute with the union.<\/p>\n The owner and executives have no such protection.<\/p>\n So you can assume this is headed for a courtroom. Just imagine how juicy the depositions will be.<\/p>\n And consider: Silver, less than three months after replacing David Stern as commissioner, created Ballmer\u2019s path into the league in 2014 by banning Donald T. Sterling for life after recorded racist remarks came to light,<\/a> ending Sterling\u2019s odious ownership of a team that had been a running joke.<\/p>\n Ballmer and his executives at least have turned the Clippers into a big league organization, playing in a first-class facility and willing to pay top dollar to create a championship contender. They\u2019re still No. 2 in town to the Lakers, and there are still no banners in the Intuit Dome, but it was a fairer fight than ever before.<\/p>\n But perhaps this is what happens when you\u2019re too ambitious.<\/p>\n jalexander@scng.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"Clippers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP19205850047506.jpg\")
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, and Paul George, center, listen as Kawhi Leonard, right, speaks to the media during an introductory press conference on Wednesday, July 23, 2019, at the Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles. Ballmer, and many others, expected the Clippers were about to become annual contenders for an NBA title after acquiring Leonard and George that summer, but those dreams never came to fruition and the cost has been considerable. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/p>\n