Steve Ballmer and the Clippers are staring at a mess they helped create, and the smartest move now may be the simplest one: own it.
Los Angeles has kept insisting on its innocence even after the Kawhi Leonard scandal investigation wrapped up. The team said it would "vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us," but the evidence already laid out leaves the Clippers with little to gain by digging in deeper.
There’s a practical reason to change course, too. If Ballmer accepts the reality of what happened, the Clippers could at least make a case for getting back one of the draft picks they lost. Their penalty stripped them of their 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 picks, but there’s a precedent worth remembering.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed to what happened with the Timberwolves in 2000, when Glen Taylor accepted Minnesota’s punishment after the league found the team guilty of an under-the-table agreement with Joe Smith. After that, David Stern eventually returned one of the five first-round picks the league had taken away.
The next year, Stern handed Minnesota back another first-rounder and explained why:
"In light of the other penalties that have been imposed on the Timberwolves, and the team's conduct since the Smith matter concluded, we feel it is appropriate."
That doesn’t mean the Clippers would automatically get the same break. Adam Silver may never handle Los Angeles the way Stern handled Minnesota. But Ballmer has very little to work with besides that example, and refusing to acknowledge the situation only makes the whole thing uglier.
He’s already done damage, and he owes the fan base more than defiance. Since he’s facing a year-long suspension and can’t be involved with the team, he can at least apologize and stop making the fallout worse.
There’s also a basketball reason to clean this up fast. If the Clippers stay on the straight and narrow while under heavy scrutiny, maybe the league gives them back at least one pick. That alone would be worth trying for.
Ballmer doesn’t need to spend his energy trying to polish the image here, and with his $30 million fine not exactly a crushing blow, he certainly doesn’t need to use his resources to turn this into an even bigger public disaster. The better play is to focus on the fans, the players, and the possibility that a little humility might buy the Clippers something back.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonards Clippers Scandal Is Raising One Damaging Question
The NBAs penalties in the Clippers salary cap scandal have already landed hard, with the franchise losing draft picks and Kawhi Leonard being fined $700,000. But the fallout has not stopped at the league office. The case has become a broader conversation around how much Leonard knew, how much he benefited, and whether the punishment fits the scope of a scheme that now sits at the center of one of the leagues messiest cap investigations.
Former player Markieff Morris has publicly questioned the leniency of Leonards punishment, while journalist Pablo Torre has pointed to documents and reporting that tie Leonard to endorsement dealings connected to the scandal. Torre has also disputed the idea that Leonard was simply unaware of what was happening around him, which has kept the scrutiny squarely on the Clippers star even after the leagues decision. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Trade Idea Just Changed The Post-Scandal Debate
A speculative trade framework has pushed the Clippers long-running draft-pick problem back into the center of the conversation. NBA insider Sam Quinn floated the idea on a podcast as a way for Los Angeles to start rebuilding its asset base after the penalties tied to the salary cap scandal, with the basic logic being less about aesthetics and more about repairing a roster and front-office balance that still feel the effects of the punishment.
The discussion is especially intriguing because it ties the Clippers immediate team-building needs to a bigger question about how aggressive they should be in chasing help while they try to recover from the fallout. No official deal is on the table, but the mere fact that a trade like this is being weighed says plenty about how thin the margin remains for a franchise trying to win now and dig itself out at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Face A Painful Trade Decision To Rebuild Their Future
The Clippers are still living with the cost of their past, and that reality keeps pushing them toward uncomfortable roster questions. After losing multiple future first-round picks in the wake of the cap circumvention investigation, the franchise has fewer clean ways to replenish its talent, which is why any path to extra draft capital suddenly matters so much. In that light, one speculative trade idea has them exploring a bold pivot: taking on DeAaron Foxs sizable contract in order to add another premium asset and keep the pipeline from running dry.
From San Antonios side, the logic is tied to Foxs contract and a playoff showing that may not have helped his long-term fit. For the Clippers, the appeal is obvious even if the price is painful, because a team that has already spent so much future flexibility cannot afford to ignore chances to recover a pick. The real question is whether they would be willing to pay that bill by parting with a key guard to make the math work, or whether the more valuable prize is enough to justify the risk. [Read more 🡒]