NBA Suspends Clippers Owner Ballmer After Leonard Salary Probe

Summary

Bloomberg's Randall Williams reports on the NBA suspending Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year after finding the team used undisclosed endorsement deals for Kawhi Leonard to circumvent salary-cap rules. The Clippers also lost five first-round draft picks through 2033 and were fined $30 million, while Leonard was fined $700,000. Williams says the penalty is among the harshest since Donald Sterling's removal, will significantly weaken the Clippers' future, but likely will not force Ballmer to sell. No public-market tradable securities are directly discussed.

• NBA suspends Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year over salary-cap circumvention.
• The Clippers lose five first-round draft picks through 2033 and are fined $30 million.
• Kawhi Leonard is fined $700,000 over undisclosed endorsement deals.
• Randall Williams says the draft-pick penalty may cut the Clippers' future team-building capacity in half.
• Williams says it is the harshest NBA penalty since the Donald Sterling ownership removal.
• Williams doubts Ballmer will be removed as owner because salary-cap circumvention is not grounds for removal.