1 season suspension and voided contract for Kawhi (plus loss of Bird rights and the inability to ever sign with the clippers again etc)

1 season suspension for Ballmer

Take the next 4 available first round picks

Highest fine allowable by the CBA

15 million cap penalty for 2 or 3 seasons

Resign, Adam.

TBH Ballmer needs a Steinbrenner suspension of multiple years. This is beyond the pale. Competitive integrity is ultimately the product (lol), so every time someone is caught violating that they need to be harshly punished.

One season suspension

[deleted]

Contract void, suspended for season, 3 first round picks from the Clippers

1 year suspension is ridiculous. It has to be longer, if not just an outright ban, if the league really wants to stop other players from doing it. Remember that all of this only came to light because one of the companies happened to default, and Leonard naming the LLCs after himself instead of random LLCs. Without those two things happening, nobody would have found out.

If there is just a 1 year suspension for a 35 year old, what stops a 24 year old superstar from rolling the dice?

Adam does nothing and Clips wrote a new playbook on salary cap circumvention

Kawhi - Contract voided + One year suspension

Balmer - Forced to sell the Clippers and relocate them to Seattle

Silver - Forced to resign as commissioner

Ban both of them.

We cancel guys for betting on games and we should ban guys for gaming the entire system for a whole year.

I think there is a preponderance of evidence here that the Clippers and Kawhi circumvented the salary cap. There are not other reasonable explanations for any of these things. To me, outside of committing actual crimes, pulling a Sterling, etc, that’s about the worst thing you can do— it’s blatant disregard for the integrity of the league. And if every other team did it to this extent, the league would be a complete joke.

I think at a bare minimum it’s:
- 1 year suspension for Ballmer
- 1 year suspension (w/o pay) for Kawhi, banned from signing with the Clippers again
- ¹⁄₂ year suspension for any other high ranking Clippers people who knew about this but didn’t report it
- Loss of at least 2 first round picks (doesn’t matter the original team that it came from, if the clippers have it it no longer exists and there are now just 29 first round selections)

Why doesn’t this become criminal fraud?

• 1 year suspension for Kawhi.
• The Clippers cannot must hold Kawhi’s cap hit for the duration of the season, but does not toll as a year of play to forward Kawhi’s contract
• Their next 3 available first round picks are moved to pick #60 (so as to not artificially reduce the # of players able to be drafted).

Outright permanent ban for Kawhi and Joe Smith punishment for the Clips. In 2000, the fine was \(3.5m, so let's call it \)100m. This is a lot more egregious.

Making him sell the team will not happen. A one year suspension for both Ballmer and Kawhi (maybe even a Pete Rose style banned for life for Kawhi if they REALLY want to drop a hammer but that’d be highly unlikely) would be a start and also the Clippers forfeit every 1st rounder that they currently possess for the next 5 years minimum, maybe longer.

If other teams found out about this before it became public (maybe they did tbh) and quietly taken advantage, it basically would render a cap meaningless in a league obsessed with financial parity. The penalty here has got to be extremely stiff for messaging sake otherwise the snowball effect could be catastrophic.

Make Ballmer sell. Life ban for Kawhi.

Steve Balmer becomes the commissioner

Kawhi should be banned from the league.   Raptors trade should be revoked.

Clippers should be forced to sale outside of Ballmer’s ownership at league discretion.  Ballmer should be banned from ownership of any kind ever again.

Clippers shouldn’t be docked any picks (or just 1-2 total picks maybe) because it just screws over whoever has to restore this over the next decade.

Adam Silver wants to know your location.

Kawhi suspended for the season

5 1st round picks forfeited

Ballmer banned for a season

Any other Clipper executive gets a six month suspension

Uncle Dennis banned for life.

Gotta be at least a year suspension for Kawhi. Voided contract, Clippers pay fine encompassing all of the side deals for Kawhi plus 50%, Ballmer suspended for a year, picks removed for multiple seasons. Hell, maybe Kawhi should be banned from the league.

I think the minimum punishment should be: one year suspension for Kawhi and blocked from playing for the Clippers again, one year suspension for Ballmer and any other people involved, a fine of at least three first round draft picks, and banning Uncle Dennis from any official NBA event. I also would stipulate that Kawhi’s contract is on the Clippers books as dead money.

Clippers should lose at least 5 years of 1st round picks after today along with terminating Kawhis contract so they don’t get assets for him.

Maybe I’m wrong but I think what Balmer has done is completely routine in the NBA. I would be shocked if these deals aren’t being done by virtually every team out there.

If I was Balmer, I would be gathering my own dirt on every other deal going on in the NBA and prepared to release details of this. Go and find every major free agent signing, especially on teams that had to be creative. You will certainly find creative accounting practices going on.

If I had the power I’d ban Kawhi for life to completely disincentivize future Uncle Dennis es and their “nephews”. I think Balmer should be forced to sell the team and banned from any participation in any way from any future NBA event. This is Black Sox-level corruption of the game kind of stuff and deserves the basketball equivalent of a death penalty for both parties. And I would force the Clips to reduce their cap space by $1 for every dollar paid to KL for the next five years.

it will never happen, but still. There needs to be a precedent set that discouraged any deep pocket team from even thinking about this again.

Kawhi should have his contract voided, be required to return his illegally-earned wages, and be suspended for a year (longer if he doesn’t return the Aspiration and Daktronics money in a timely manner).

Ballmer should receive a two-year suspension and be barred from any communication with players or their agents upon his return. The Clippers should forfeit five first round picks, just like the Timberwolves.

Further, any executive with knowledge of any of these dealings in the Clippers’ front office should receive a suspension, any executive of an outside company (and those companies) should be barred from doing business with the NBA or its clubs.

And, obviously, Uncle Dennis should receive a lifetime ban from the NBA.

There is also an argument that the Raptors should be made whole as it is highly likely that Ballmer’s illegal inducements cost them retaining Kawhi after 2019, but I’m not sure if there is a mechanism within the CBA to do that.

Kawhi should get a year and Ballmer has to give up the team.

The players union won’t be happy with a suspension without pay.

He should have to eat McDonald’s every meal for three years. That’ll teach him to mess with America.

Kawhi will probably get 10-20 game suspension. That’s a pretty big chunk of money from his contract. Not sure the league history for player fines in these cases but that could be added on top

Force Ballmer to sell.

The lack of any other owners saying anything makes me think the Clippers didn’t invent this

He already should’ve been banned for life based on everything we knew for the whole season. The fact that even a single other thing has been added to the pile now means he really needs to never play basketball again. There’s no way he didn’t know this shit was going on.

Kawhi should be permanently banned and Clippers should get the harshest possible financial and sporting sanctions.

Banned from the league tbh

Balmer needs to go, this is his second time circumventing the cap. First time was with deandre jordan over a 100k lexus deal I beleive. When I mean Balmer needs to go it means he needs to stay out of the day to day interactions with the team. He can own it he just can’t stick his nose in. Kawhi Id say some game suspension.

I full year suspension for Leonard. Clippers should lose next 5 First round picks (their own. Which is what the T-Wolves got over Joe Smith). And Ballmer should get the maximum allowed fine.

Straight to jail

Kawhi should go to prison, Balmer should be forced to sell the team, money go to charity

The quantity of shadiness far eclipses what got Pete Rose banned from his sport

Ballmer suspended 3 seasons. Kawahi suspended 2 seasons. Loss of 5 first round picks

Good luck with all of this. There will be absolutely no punishment for anyone

Ballmer should be forced to sell the team and Kawhi should get the Jontay Porter. Need to make an example to stamp this out of the game.

I think the only fair punishment is to suspend Paul
George again for teaming up and bringing Kawhi to LA in the first place.

I guess we should also suspend SGA and the thunder for being conspirators.

Kawhi should be forced to go to the raptors and repeat. Someone tell Lowry that his one day contract is gonna be longer.

Void the contract since it only happened because of the rule breaking.

Suspend Kawhi a year

Large fine to the Clippers. Take away their next 3 picks.

I think in the post 2016 world we live in, anyone with money thinks they are bulletproof. I have no doubt Ballmer still legitimately thinks he is a victim. Silver will do his best to keep doing nothing about this. Thanks to Pablo for keeping at this though.

Clippers should get a harsher punishment than the twolves did with the Joe Smith scenario. 

Kawhi banned for life. Balmer forced out as owner. Clippers really made some tough playoff rounds for the nuggets. Denver would have another chip if they didnt have to go through load managed kawhi clippers teams every year.

Half a season suspension and stripping draft picks sounds about right if the allegations are proven

1 year suspension for Kawhi and Ballmer

Take Clippers next 3 owned 1st round picks

Highest fine available

Take Kawhis current cap hit add the under the table amount and put it on the Clippers cap sheet for three years essentially a ³⁄₈₀ contract

One season suspension. Let Kawhi keep his money since it will keep the fight with the players union to a minimum. 

Five first round picks from the Clippers since this is Ballmer’s second offense. 

If its proven the punishment should be serious enough to deter every other team from trying the same thing.

Contract voided 2 year ban from the NBA. Balmer is barred from the NBA and has to sell the team within 6 months. All 1st rd picks taken for 6 years 30 mil on the books for 3 years. This is ridiculous, this can not be tolerated…

He won’t be suspended because the nba will take another year to investigate 😂

What are the chances nothing happens?

no suspension. take their draft picks

Good timing.

I’d say one season is fair, Clippers should get a fine and 4 consecutive FRPs taken away.

Also, the trade to Toronto will be allowed but they will not receive any of Toronto’s 1sts in the deal just because.

He should be banned for two seasons, effectively forced to retire or reduced to a veteran roleplayer, and the Clippers should give up a first, a second, and a massive - truly massive, unprecedented - forced contribution to some NBA goodwill fund/charity.

All this fuckery and they never made the finals

I say give Kawhi a 3 game suspension and put Uncle Dennis in Prison for 70 years. Clippers can pay a fine of 250 million. That’s it. move on. I put all the blame on greedy Uncle Dennis.

Kick him out nuff said

They should lose Keaton Wagler to the Pacers.

It does seem like something else will come out lol. I feel like Pablo is just sitting back with evidence, waiting for the right time to drop what he has

Ballmer should have to sell the team and fined the amount of Kawhis contract in total with the side deals. Kawhi should be suspended for the length of the contract he signed and fined the amount of the side deals.

Lookup what Stern did to Minnesota with all those draft picks and that should be the start. He also should resign over this too

Give the Pacers back their pick (please)

As a lifelong Wolves fan who was around for the Joe Smith saga, albeit as a teenager, I do believe this is worse. Copy and paste that punishment at a minimum.

Same thing that happened to us for Joe Smith. Throw the book at them. Anything less is bullshit. 

All of that and Ballmer should be made to pay the Celtics salary cap and immediately return Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to Boston! 🍀🏀

Stern would’ve given the death penalty

Smu style death penalty. Let’s regulate them to the g league.

Kawhi shouldn’t get any suspension, I got a better solution. Immediate voiding of the contract he’s on, and he’s required to play ONLY for the vet minimum for the next 10 years, unless he retires for 3 consecutive seasons.

fire the idiot silver.. weakest man in sports.

I don’t know. Spending that much money for a ¹⁄₂ time player and no championships is a pretty big punishment already. But still, Balmer needs to be punished formally.

In my country? Straight to jail

I’d say multiple first round picks and a suspension for Ballmer. These handshake deals probably occur more often than we’d like to think, so when you catch someone red-handed you have to lay down the law to deter future bad behavior. The same logic applies to Gary Trent situation imo, though with less severe punishments.

Is the NBA actually going to do that? Of course not

there’s gonna be no punishment

Forced sale for Ballmer. Semipermanent suspension for Kawhi. Clips forfeit draft picks. Criminal charges where applicable. Continued investigation to find the bottom of this sordid affair.

Considering Ballsmer has already verifiably attempted cap circumvention and is brazenly doing it still he should sell. Kawhi should also be banned for attempting this shit with Multiple teams. HOWEVER rich people are very rarely punished how they should be, if at all so in Trumps America they’re just gonna get more tax breaks

Whatever will make other owners think it isn’t worth it to pay players under the table. Because if the punishment is worth a championship then an owner can build a superteam and eat the punishment later

The league will think about this from a business perspective, so we have to consider that angle.

The NBA is in the middle of a years-long project to transform the Clippers from the pariah they were under Sterling into a second flagship (pun intended)franchise in Los Angeles. Thats good for the long-term health of the NBA.

We have also seen plenty of evidence that David Stern thought of his job as protecting and growing the league, whereas Silver sees his job as growing the numbers financially. Those two things arent QUITE the same.

So I think its reasonable to say that the fact that its the Clippers means that the punishment wont be as strong as it would be for almost any other team, even before we get to Balmer’s money and penchant for legal wrangling.

Thats why this will be so fascinating to me- what do you do when all you care about is money? Imagine starting a fantasy league to have fun with your buddies but after a few years youre making millions of dollars from it. How would you handle cheating that fucked up the whole competitive balance?

Adam Silver is a hollowed-out husk of a human being, turning the sport into just another financialization vehicle. May he rot in hell.

Ballmer should be forced to sell and Kawhi should be suspended half a season

Hot take but I don’t feel like Kawhi should be punished for this. They should come down hard on the clips/Ballmer though.

The rest of the season, he doesn’t care about playing or winning anyways LMAO

Fines aren’t gonna do anything to Balmer, he literally wouldn’t notice. Gotta be something that will actually be punitive to get him to play by the rules. I think they should do something similar to European soccer punishments and prevent people from sitting in the special fan section at the Intuit Dome. Then every game on TV you see this big, special section that was given so much media attention with no one in it. Would drive him insane. 

Both Kawhi and Ballmer should be perma banned from the league

Clippers need to get joe smithed and Balmer needs to be suspended for three years. If they give a slap on the wrist gms are basically gonna become money launderers. If stern was alive and the commissioner the clippers would have already been sent to the shadow realm. Lastly suspend Kawhi at least a year

Balmer should be permanently banned. Kawhi should be banned for the duration of his contract and have his contract voided. A little unorthodox, but I don’t think yhe clippers should lose picks. I think that hurts the fans of the team too much. But I wouldn’t be opposed to something like them being not allowed to be in the lottery for a few years. Doubt that’s possible though.

If guilty, and everything checks out:

For Kawhi: People are saying stuff like “half a season suspension” but this wasn’t like a small paperwork blunder or anything, but a deliberate attempt to totally go around the competitive balance of the league. A season suspension and forfeiture of all wrongly received funds should be the starting point, but a lifetime suspension should be seriously considered.

For the Clippers organization: This is much worse than anything the T-Wolves did and they lost 5 draft picks. I don’t know that you can impose that kind of penalty today and have it be fair for the fans (they’ll be screwed for 10+ years) but they should at least forfeit multiple draft picks and be fined something considered outrageous by NBA standards. Maybe $100 million?

For Balmer: This is worse than anything Donald Sterling was alleged to have done. Forcing him to sell his team and taking any profit above his original purchase price would be fair, but legally might not be possible. If he somehow keeps his team, the NBA should personally fine him $1 billion with a public apology and admission of impropriety.

For everybody involved: not sure if legally they committed crimes, but this level of crookedness needs to be investigated by the Feds.

Half a year with no pay. Clippers lose next 2 years highest draft picks and fined $10M

Death penalty for the Clippers for the next 5 years if you really want to send a message that this won’t be tolerated at all.

Void his contract, bar him from any sponsorship deals, Clippers cannot sign any max contracts for 10 years, clippers lose 3 firsts, 5 seconds, and the league must supervise all free agent signings, endorsement deals, and audit every player who signs with them. Turn the Clippers from a destination into a tombstone. Leonard also pays a 60 million dollar fine, serves a two year suspension, and is no longer eligible for any contract above 25% of the salary cap.

• 5 years’ FRP taken away

• Season-long suspension for Kawhi, maybe 2

• Ballmer suspension for multiple years

Every dollar of his salary earned beyond the veteran minimum gets redistributed evenly to every other player in the player’s union during his faulty contract, because they are the one’s most impacted in the long run by his cap evasion. This of course would be separate from any punishment the clippers get.