The Los Angeles Clippers ended their playoff run in the first round last season — marking the third consecutive year with the same disappointing outcome. That was enough to signal that change was necessary, and the Clippers responded aggressively in the offseason. The team was among the most active in the league, bringing in a wave of veteran talent.
“This offseason, the Clippers have added a veteran quartet of Bradley Beal, John Collins, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul. Of course, a star like Beal could completely shift the outlook of the Clippers and help their chase for a championship, and the other additions are expected to play significant roles as well,” SI’s Logan Struck wrote.
However, with the NBA season quickly approaching, a major issue has emerged. The NBA is now investigating whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer provided improper benefits to star forward Kawhi Leonard.
“At the heart of it is essentially investigating whether there is hard proof that there were improper back-door payments on behalf of the Clippers or Steve Ballmer to Kawhi Leonard. There has to be hard evidence that proves that,” Shams Charania said on SportsCenter. “Circumstantially, there's certain dots you can connect here.”
This is far from an ideal situation for the Clippers, especially considering the serious consequences that could follow. For now, Ballmer is not guilty of anything, but if the allegations are proven true, some believe the punishment should be as severe as forcing him to relinquish ownership of the team.
“If it’s proven, I believe he should lose this franchise. It's $28 million dollars, it's real money and if they can prove he did it with the idea of circumventing and paying him, a penalty of losing draft choices isn’t a penalty. That means nothing to these guys, so the only way you make a point is to want to prove, hey you can’t do this,” NFL agent Hadley Engelhard said.
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Engelhard didn’t hold back — and this entire situation is undeniably unusual. Leonard is already one of the highest-paid and most respected players in the league. It’s hard to imagine why improper benefits would even be necessary. But if the investigation concludes that Ballmer broke the rules, his ownership of one of the NBA’s premier franchises could be at risk. All it would take is one serious lapse in judgment to bring it all crashing down.