Add The California Post on Google The NBA dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for star forward Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers are forced to forfeit five first-round NBA Draft picks, are fined $30 million to owner Steve Ballmer, and both Ballmer, Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker, and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank are all getting suspended for various periods of time.
Kawhi Leonard is being fined $700,000 but is not getting suspended. Therefore, this opens the door for him to reunite with the Toronto Raptors, a trade which has been in place for several months.
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard speaks to reporters before a team practice on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. The Raptors are scheduled to play the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. AP Many feel like Leonard is getting off easy, given that this investigation was centered around him and his contract. And several hilarious social media posts are conveying this.
X user @KingJosiah54 posted a video of a kid on the swings with a fire in the background with the caption, “Raptors waiting for Kawhi outside the Clippers facility”.
“Kawhi came out like gangbusters man lmao no suspension, no contract void, a relatively small fine, and gets to go play for a different team while his old organization is turbo f**** LMAOOOOOO,” wrote @SnackPr0tein in another X post.
X user @OnyxOdds posted a video of Heath Ledger’s Joker character walking away from a hospital in The Dark Knight (2008) with the caption, “Kawhi leaving the Clippers after destroying the future of their franchise”.
Clippers fan account @RaptorsLead posted the iconic LeBron James “Smiling through it all! Can’t believe this my life” meme with the caption, “CLIPPERS LOSE 5 FIRSTS / STEVE BALLMER GETS A $30M FINE / KAWHI ISN’T SUSPENDED!!!!!”
It definitely seems like Leonard got a much longer stick than the Clippers. But Raptors fans clearly aren’t complaining.
Kawhi Leonard attends the match between Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Naomi Osaka of Japan during the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Getty Images
