The NBA on Wednesday announced severe punishments for the LA Clippers-- including the loss of five future first-round draft picks, a fine of $30 million and a yearlong suspension of owner Steve Ballmer – for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving star Kawhi Leonard.
Oh wow…guess they figured this scandal was too big to hide, even for the richest owner.
No punishment was never an option for the other 29 (lesser) billionaire owners. They don’t actually want to give players any more money, which they would have to do if Ballmer received no punishment and kept circumventing the cap.
They did it the smart way. By giving Kawhi only a slap on the wrist, the player’s union accepted the punishment and now Ballmer can’t take it to arbitration without them.