Interim President of Basketball Operations Trent Redden says he hopes that Los Angeles Clippers fans will see that the franchise is still the same one they fell in love with and stayed loyal to, despite recent turmoil.

Addressing the press during the Clippers' first media day since the salary cap circumvention scandal involving Kawhi Leonard earlier this week, Redden was asked how he plans to win the fanbase back.

The 42-year-old Sacramento native responded that words are cheap, and it is the day-to-day actions that will aim to convince people that at its core, nothing has changed.

Redden said that he has often praised Clippers fans for their loyalty during his time in the NBA, even before coming to L.A. For signing up to be underdogs in their own city. For the dark times in the 80s, 90s, and 00s. 

He recognizes that what has transpired over the last several months is a bitter pill to swallow. However, in order to overcome this adversity, sticking together now is more important than ever.

"What kept you a Clipper fan during all that time, I hope we still embody," Redden said. "That there is a competitiveness, a grit, a spirit, a fight that we still have. ... We're going to show them with our actions, and the hope is that they can still be a part of an organization that they're proud of.

"That they're proud to put on Clippers [merchandise] and feel proud to be a Clippers fan with what the product they're seeing in front of them every day is."

To say the Clippers are set to embark on a new era this season would be underselling it. In reality, the entire direction of the franchise has been reshaped by the actions of those in charge.

In summary, because you have heard it all already, the Clippers were hit with the harshest punishment in sports history for illegally circumventing the league's salary cap to compensate former star Leonard.

The repercussions include a $30 million fine, forfeiture of first-round draft picks for the next five years, and a five-year league-overseen compliance and monitoring program.

Additionally, owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for a year, as was President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker (without pay). President of Basketball Ops Lawrence Frank will serve a six-month suspension (without pay), and Dennis Robertson (Leonard's representative) has been banned from NBA business for five years. 

Leonard was ordered to pay a $700,000 fine in restitution.

So, as much as Redden can say that nothing has changed. It's not hard to see that, in fact, everything is different now. 

The Clippers are facing an extremely difficult task just to stay afloat competitively, let alone be any sort of contender. The 2034 Draft is the next time they will control their own first-round pick outright.

Coupled with the franchise trading reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-rounders, and two first-round pick swaps for Paul George in 2019 — it's safe to say that the pursuit of the championship that never came has borne poisonous fruit.

In many ways, the Clippers are now set to be under the least pressure since Ballmer bought the franchise in 2014.

That is on the hardwood, at least. 

Right now, there are no expectations. To Redden's point, it's just about retaining fan support and trying to rebuild from the ground up. It'll take time. A lot of it. But the players involved can play somewhat freely for now. Any talk of a championship on this side of Los Angeles would be laughable — even with how desperate Ballmer is for success.

The Clippers received Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and some draft capital in return for Leonard's return to the Toronto Raptors.

Pairing Ingram with point guard Darius Garland is an exciting prospect — especially under head coach Ty Lue's guidance. It's the coming together of an impactful scorer with an ascending floor general.

However, to rub salt into the wound, Ingram will not be available to start the new season due to a partially torn Achilles discovered during an offseason surgery.

So, Clippers fans will have to wait for that duo to connect. In the meantime, Rui Hachimura and Max Strus joined the team in free agency. And Keaton Wagler — the No. 5 pick of this year's draft — spearheaded a summer during which the Clippers learned that they have some exciting youth in their ranks.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Clippers will be fun to watch in the coming years. However, their long-awaited hopes of contention have certainly been zapped until further notice.