Ballmer's Apology Cost Him $30M. Kawhi's Cost $700K.
Steve Ballmer stopped fighting the NBA and apologized, paying a $30M fine and a year's suspension. Kawhi Leonard, the player at the center of it, paid $700K.
clippers
29 articles
The Clippers' Cap Case Just Went Federal
The NBA fined the Clippers $30 million and called it closed. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn just opened a criminal investigation that says otherwise.
Bradley Beal's No. 3 Exposes an Empty Clippers Promise
Bradley Beal took back No. 3, the number Chris Paul was promised the Clippers would one day retire. The backlash was never really about a jersey.
Pablo Torre Isn't Done With the Clippers Story
The NBA fined the Clippers $30M and called it closed. Ballmer's camp calls the process a witch hunt. Pablo Torre isn't done digging either.
Ballmer Loses a Year. Kawhi Loses $700K.
The NBA handed out its harshest cap penalty ever. Steve Ballmer lost a year and five picks. Kawhi Leonard lost $700K and got a fresh start in Toronto.
The Ballmer Question Isn't Why Kawhi Is Still Stuck
ESPN says the NBA cleared Steve Ballmer. The league says not so fast. Either way, the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto is stuck on something bigger.
Kawhi Leonard Actually Backed Up His Bai Jing Trash Talk
Kawhi Leonard broke a decade of media silence to roast a Chinese streetballer who dropped 60 on Paul George. Then he actually played him. Here's what happened.
Kawhi Leonard Isn't Cleared. His Uncle Still Is a Problem.
The NBA cleared Steve Ballmer of funneling cash to Kawhi Leonard. It didn't clear Kawhi himself — his uncle's benefits are still under review.
Kawhi Leonard Already Talks Like a Raptor
Kawhi Leonard expects his trade to the Toronto Raptors to close before training camp starts. Nobody's corrected him yet, and that's the actual story here.
Steve Ballmer Got Cleared and Nobody's Buying It
The NBA spent nearly a year investigating one of its own 30 owners over Kawhi Leonard's $28M no-show deal. Shocker: he's mostly cleared, for now.
Ben Simmons Is Doing the Redemption Arc Again
Ben Simmons is a full participant at the Boomers minicamp, and a Western Conference team offered a real training camp invite. Here we go again.
The NBA Has a Kawhi Leonard Pattern Problem
The Clippers scoreboard vendor cut Kawhi Leonard a secret multimillion-dollar check. That is two shady deals now, and the NBA still will not act.
The Kawhi Investigation Widens. The Trade Stays the Same.
The NBA's Clippers investigation widened to a second endorsement deal. Silver wants it resolved by next season. The trade at the center hasn't changed.
The Raptors Are Stuck Holding Someone Else's Risk
The NBA told Toronto it would have to assume the risk of the Clippers' cap investigation to land Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors said no. Here's the bind now.
Sixers' Caldwell-Pope Deal Cost More Than It Looks
The Sixers didn't sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for free. It cost a rookie big man, a 2027 second-rounder, and a hard look at Philly's cap math.
The NBA Finished Its Kawhi Probe. Then Went Silent.
The NBA's Kawhi Leonard investigation is reportedly done. The league hasn't said a word publicly, and the silence is protecting one very specific owner.
Ballmer Built a Tunnel Around the Salary Cap
Steve Ballmer invested $60M in a startup that paid Kawhi $28M and his arena $300M. The NBA is investigating. The trade is frozen. This isn't a loophole.
Kawhi's Investigation Has a Second Company Now
The Kawhi Leonard probe now covers a second endorsement deal. The trade is frozen, draft picks are at risk, and the only precedent ended with a voided contract.
Kawhi's Frozen Trade Exposes How the NBA Actually Enforces Its Salary Cap
Kawhi Leonard's trade to Toronto is frozen while the NBA investigates whether the Clippers secretly paid him $28M through a now-bankrupt startup.
The NBA Is Making Kawhi Wait for a Fraudster
Kawhi Leonard's return to Toronto is on hold while the NBA investigates whether the Clippers used a convicted fraudster's company to pay him off the books.
The NBA's $7.5M Cap Fine Is a Joke
The NBA froze the Kawhi Leonard trade over alleged cap circumvention. The max fine is $7.5M — for a $7.5B franchise, that's not a punishment.
Kawhi Leonard Is Back in Toronto. Don't Call It a Homecoming.
The Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and two unprotected firsts. The Raptors don't owe him sentiment.
Kawhi Left Toronto After the Title. Now He's Back.
Kawhi Leonard left Toronto right after winning a championship. Now he wants back in. Raptors fans are shocked. They really shouldn't be.
Kawhi's Back in Toronto. It Was Always Going to Be This.
Kawhi Leonard is returning to Toronto after seven seasons of LA chaos. The Clippers tried to build around him. Toronto already proved they could make him great.
Windhorst Says the Kawhi Trade Happens Today
Windhorst says the Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto could happen today. Brandon Ingram heads to LA. The deal makes sense for everyone — and the Raptors deserve this.
NBA Free Agency Eve: Plans vs. Chaos
Free agency opens tonight and the six-team landscape couldn't be more uneven. The Heat are hard-capped. The Warriors are chasing LeBron. The Clippers have money they won't spend.
Kawhi Trade Talks Are Real — and the Clippers Can't Move
Shams says the Clippers and Raptors are seriously engaged on a Kawhi Leonard trade. With the Mavericks and Masai Ujiri lurking, someone has to blink first.
The Clippers Want a Pay Cut. Kawhi Wants Toronto.
Kawhi Leonard will only waive his no-trade clause for Toronto or San Antonio. The Clippers want a pay cut. Here's why his two choices make complete sense.
Indiana's Pick Is Gone and Nobody Is Shocked
The Indiana Pacers enter the 2026 NBA Draft with zero picks. A monument to medium-bad decisions and the one protection window that cost them everything.