Sep 30, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is filmed during media day at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

'A Slap on the Wrist' – Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Scandal Could Only Warrant a Small Punishment, Per Analyst

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 10:37 AM ET

The NBA is reportedly investigating the cap circumvention scandal involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers , and Zach Lowe recently shared his predictions on the matter on his YouTube channel.

According to the former ESPN analyst, the Los Angeles Clippers will unlikely receive a massive punishment from the league office because there’s no smoking gun on their end.

“I’m going to predict it finds no smoking gun,” Lowe said. “No email, no text, no nothing from anyone at the Clippers from Balmer on down to the equipment manager saying do this for this cap circumvention purposes.

May 3, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches his team during warm-ups before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers in game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

“And if that is in fact what they don’t find or what they find/don’t find, I’m going to predict that still because of the diligence and just appearance issues that you’re talking about, that they get a slap on the wrist,” he continued. “Like a second-round pick and a million-dollar fine or something like that.”

Los Angeles Clippers News: Steve Ballmer breaks his silence on the Kawhi Leonard scandal

Steve Ballmer recently spoke with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne to address the matter himself. According to the Los Angeles Clippers owner, he was merely a victim of Aspiration’s fraud.

Jan 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“Just upfront, I want to say one thing very clearly. We, the Clippers, have abided by the salary cap circumvention rules because that’s the right thing to do,” Ballmer stated.

“Remember, they defrauded me. They defrauded many other investors, much bigger than me. But I read the business plan and said, ‘Hey, this makes sense to support them, to support us.’ We invested in the company. So all was fine. I had no control over this company. That is important. Actually, under the salary cap rules, I owned less than 3% of the company,” he emphasized.