Clippers Were Reportedly Caught Off Guard By How NBA Handled Investigation

Just recently, news surrounding the investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and accusations of salary cap circumvention continued to emerge, and just recently, a punishment was handed to them that might affect them long-term. 

Executives such as owner Steve Ballmer and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank were suspended from all team activities. Ballmer will serve a one-year suspension, while Frank will serve six months. 

Los Angeles lost five first-round picks from 2029 to 2033, leaving them in a tough situation regarding their future plans. 

Law Murray, a writer for The Athletic, recently talked about the situation the Clippers are in, and said that the organization was surprised by the ruling the league came up with. 

Murray believes that the Clippers organization felt like the NBA was on their side, and they went through this process whole situation without having to worry about too big a punishment. 

To think the Clippers’ front office was blindsided by the punishments handed out by the league office makes sense. Los Angeles has spent their offseason getting younger, but still finding pieces that could help them make the playoffs. 

The biggest move the Clippers made was trading away Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, and a pick swap in 2027. 

While the Clippers traded away their best player, they continued to spend the offseason picking up players who could allow them to still be competitive while allowing their young pieces to grow. 

Los Angeles signed the likes of Rui Hachimura and traded for Max Strus, two players who have been on playoff-contending teams in the past. Now, there’s a chance these pieces could be traded because of how much the punishments affect their future. 

Even if the Clippers do want to ship off pieces like Rui, Strus, or even Darius Garland, there is still some doubt about whether or not they can get a good return.  

The issue is that these players are coming from playoff-contending teams, and it could be harder to find a suitor for them, considering they aren’t what younger teams in the NBA are looking for. 

While the situation is not great for the Clippers by any means, they still have time to prepare for being out of first-round picks for five years. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to a new plan, considering they may not have been expecting this in the first place.