NBA imposes historic penalties on Clippers and Ballmer for salary-cap circumvention

The NBA announced unprecedented sanctions against the Los Angeles Clippers for attempting to circumvent the salary cap: the team must forfeit five first‑round picks, pay a $30 million fine, and suspend three top officials, including owner Steve Ballmer, for a year. Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000; the Clippers plan to appeal. The league’s investigation found the club facilitated off‑court income opportunities for Leonard and paid personal expenses for him and his reps.