Add The California Post on Google Stephen A. Smith has found an unexpected way to describe Kawhi Leonard’s exit from the Clippers’ salary-cap scandal.
The ESPN personality delivered that assessment Tuesday on “First Take,” marveling at the relatively limited punishment Leonard received before completing his return to the Toronto Raptors.
“He broke the rules, got caught, pointed the finger at somebody else, threw the organization under the bus,” Smith said.
The NBA determined that Leonard and the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules through off-court financial arrangements involving companies connected to the franchise. Those included a $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration under which Leonard reportedly performed no promotional work.
Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 but avoided a suspension and kept his contract intact.
The Clippers received the far more damaging sentence: a $30 million fine, the forfeiture of five first-round picks and suspensions for several organizational leaders. Owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension before eventually accepting the NBA’s punishment.
Smith called the discrepancy outrageous, arguing that Leonard helped create enormous problems for the franchise before escaping with little more than restitution that represents a fraction of his NBA earnings.
He then pushed the description further, saying Leonard “got his money and left the country.”
That was a reference to Leonard’s trade to Toronto, which became official Monday after being delayed during the investigation.
The Raptors acquired the two-time Finals MVP for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap and two second-round selections.
The destination makes Leonard’s exit particularly favorable. He returns to the franchise he led to its first championship in 2019, where his single season remains the most celebrated portion of his NBA career.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, must begin again without its best player, much of its leadership or control of its own first-round draft picks through 2033.
Smith’s language was crafted for television, but the imbalance behind it is real. The Clippers absorbed a franchise-altering punishment. Leonard paid $700,000 and landed with the team he wanted.
“I mean, damn,” Smith said. “How much better can it get than that?”
