The case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers continues to generate controversy, and Stephen A. Smith already has a clear idea of what the NBA should do if the latest allegations are confirmed: void the superstar’s contract and suspend him for at least an entire season.
The ESPN analyst discussed the matter with Pablo Torre, who in recent weeks has uncovered new details about alleged schemes used to circumvent the NBA salary cap. The latest involves another alleged multimillion-dollar agreement between Leonard and Daktronics, the company that built the Clippers’ Intuit Dome video board.
At this point, these remain allegations, and it has not been established that Leonard or the franchise actually violated NBA rules. For Stephen A. Smith, however, if the reports are confirmed, the league’s response should be severe.
Stephen A. Smith: “Voiding the contract isn’t enough”
During the conversation, Pablo Torre highlighted an interesting detail: voiding Leonard’s contract could paradoxically not be a sufficient punishment. Kawhi would become a free agent and could immediately sign with another team.
That is precisely why Smith wants to see a lengthy suspension as well:
Voiding the contract isn’t enough. If he were guilty, that wouldn’t be sufficient because you’d leave him on the free-agent market and someone could sign him and pay him. You have to add a suspension so that the consequences are truly felt
Stephen A. Smith
And Stephen A. would not stop with Kawhi. In his view, if an actual salary-cap circumvention scheme were proven, the NBA should also take direct action against the Clippers.
If all of this were true, the NBA should void Kawhi Leonard’s contract and suspend him. I wouldn’t let him play for the next year. I would take Draft picks away from the Clippers and also suspend Steve Ballmer from attending games
Stephen A. Smith
It is an extremely harsh position that even Smith finds difficult to imagine Adam Silver ultimately adopting in full. But in his view, the scope of the case could require an extraordinary response.
Stephen A. Smith’s concern: the Kawhi case may not be isolated
The most delicate aspect of the situation, in fact, goes beyond Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. Stephen A. Smith fears that confirmation of the allegations could open up a much bigger issue across the NBA.
People are going to start asking: Did this only happen with Kawhi Leonard? Could this have happened with other players around the NBA? You know that’s going to be the next question
Stephen A. Smith
According to Smith, that would be the league’s biggest risk: discovering that outside agreements used to circumvent the salary cap were not an isolated incident.
The analyst also cited an anonymous source reported by Torre, according to whom the money was specifically used to circumvent the salary cap, passing from the Clippers through Daktronics and ultimately to Leonard. It is a serious allegation that, naturally, would have to be proven.
Stephen A. Smith also revisits Kawhi’s past with the Clippers
Stephen A. Smith then broadened the discussion to the relationship between Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, going all the way back to the summer of 2019. After winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi chose the Clippers, but only after the franchise managed to bring Paul George to Los Angeles.
To complete that trade, Los Angeles surrendered a massive package that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and several Draft picks.
Smith also brought up the numerous absences Leonard has accumulated over the years, taking a shot at him in his usual style:
You want the definition of a masterclass? Kawhi Leonard getting paid without going to work. He could teach classes. He’s spectacular at it
Stephen A. Smith
Beyond the provocation, the numbers do show limited availability. In his first six seasons with the Clippers, Leonard played 331 of 554 possible regular-season games, missing just over 40% of them.
The Kawhi Leonard case could become a massive problem for the NBA
This is where the story takes on a different dimension. It is no longer simply another controversy surrounding Kawhi Leonard or the unusual nature of his relationship with the Clippers. If it were proven that outside commercial agreements were used to provide the player with additional compensation while circumventing the salary cap, the NBA would be facing a massive problem.
That is why Stephen A. Smith is calling for an exemplary punishment: contract voided, a one-year suspension for Leonard, Draft picks taken away from the Clippers and sanctions against Steve Ballmer as well.
For now, these remain allegations that still need to be verified. But if the investigation confirms the reported account, the Leonard-Clippers case could go far beyond Kawhi’s future and force Adam Silver to act to protect one of the fundamental principles underpinning the NBA’s competitive and financial balance.