Former San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has seemingly brought down another franchise after the NBA handed down a historic punishment to the L.A. Clippers. The L.A. Clippers were stripped of five first-round picks; owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and suspended for a year, and Kawhi was fined $700,000.
Per NBA: The Clippers shall forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court… https://t.co/OhqXDEBirj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2026
All told, the penalties were more than many expected from the NBA but perhaps not as much as Spurs fans were hoping for Kawhi. Still, the damage is done. Kawhi has all but torpedoed the Clippers after seven seasons in Los Angeles.
Remember, the condition of him signing with L.A. involved them trading for Paul George, and we all know how that turned out. The end result is the Clippers giving up a total of 10 first-round picks for Kawhi and should be having some serious buyer’s remorse.
The total cost of Kawhi Leonard signing with the Clippers:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Jalen Williams
10 first-round picks
2 first-round pick swapsFreaking unreal. pic.twitter.com/zMU2S4j2GU
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 2, 2026
Clippers finally feel the Spurs’ pain after NBA’s Kawhi Leonard decision
Assuming that Kawhi is still traded to the Toronto Raptors, it would mark the end of his disastrous run in Los Angeles. He has surely completely burned bridges in Los Angeles now after costing the Clippers so much.
However, he first burned bridges with the Spurs. He sat out for most of 2018-2019 and later demanded to trade. That move essentially led to a prolonged rebuild for San Antonio that we are only just now getting out from under.
The Spurs are back, and dare I say better than they were when Kawhi was their best player. The Clippers won’t be so lucky. The NBA basically delivered a gut-punch to the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard has left the Clippers in shambles
No firsts for five years starting in 2028 and going until 2033 basically eliminates the possibility of rebuilding through the draft. The NBA even got creative by stripping them of a pick acquired in a trade from the Pacers.
Meanwhile, Kawhi got off relatively scot-free. He will likely be traded and will be able to start fresh with the Raptors. After everything that’s gone on during his time with the Clippers, they probably can’t wait to see him gone.
It does raise an interesting question about whether his jersey would be retired by the Clippers. At the moment, that seems pretty low. It also seems low that he’d have his jersey retired by the Spurs. If he continues to burn brides, then he could have the same thing happen in Toronto. It seems wherever he goes, trouble follows.
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