NBA world shocked over reported Kawhi Leonard punishment

Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, stunned the sports world on Wednesday, and in more ways than one.

According to a report by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a year-long investigation found that the Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer skirted the league's salary-cap rules to pay Kawhi Leonard more money than they were allowed to do over a period stretching all the way back to 2020.

Now, Silver has handed down a punishment that, among other things, includes Ballmer and the Clippers collectively being docked $30 million and five consecutive first-round draft picks. That latter half of the verdict is an especially devastating loss that is expected to substantially hamper the quality of basketball played at the Intuit Dome for years to come.

But while the organizational punishment from the league has been jaw-dropping, the repercussions for Leonard himself have perhaps been the most shocking part of it all. The outpouring of disbelief from around the sports world has only just begun.

Kawhi Leonard only given a fine

Even though these prohibited payments were ultimately made to the benefit of Leonard, the superstar small forward himself is walking away with nothing more than a $700,000 fine from the league, a drop in the bucket compared to the reported $28 million he was set to receive through the now-bankrupt sustainability firm Aspiration.

This punishment, which was decided on by the NBA alone, comes despite clear language in the Wachtell Lipton report implicating Leonard as directly culpable.

"Mr. Leonard, through the conduct of [Leonard's uncle and former business manager, Dennis] Robertson on his behalf, violated the [salary cap] circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses," the investigation concluded.

The lack of any suspension frees up the Toronto Raptors to complete their trade for the man who led them to their first championship in franchise history back in 2019, and Leonard has already issued a personal statement expressing his anticipation of rejoining the NBA's sole Canadian representatives.