{"id":2130522,"date":"2026-09-06T11:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T08:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2130522"},"modified":"2026-09-06T11:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T08:00:24","slug":"the-clippers-future-just-got-much-harder-now-they-have-to-figure-out-how-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2130522","title":{"rendered":"The Clippers\u2019 future just got much harder. Now they have to figure out how to win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The LA Clippers will have to play basketball at some point.<\/p>\n

After getting bludgeoned by the NBA\u2019s sledgehammer following a yearlong investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention, it\u2019s fair to wonder how the Clippers go on to try to extend the league\u2019s longest active streak of winning seasons to 16 years and beyond.<\/p>\n

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As part of the league\u2019s punishment<\/a>, the Clippers were docked five future first-round picks (2029-33) and fined $30 million. Chairman Steve Ballmer and business president Gillian Zucker were suspended for one year, while basketball president Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. Kawhi Leonard, the superstar at the center of it all, was instructed to pay $700,000 to the league, while his uncle and former manager Dennis Robertson was banned for five years from representing NBA players or dealing with teams.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a punishment that the Clippers organization did not expect to endure, at least based on their public statements and responses in recent months. The team is \u201cvehemently\u201d rejecting the NBA\u2019s findings and doubled down by having an attorney send a letter to commissioner Adam Silver<\/a> claiming that the league\u2019s investigation was \u201cflawed from the outset\u201d and that the organization would explore \u201cevery legal remedy to address this gross injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a basketball operations standpoint, though, things could be much worse.<\/p>\n

The Athletic<\/em> asked Frank in February whether there was any clarity from the league about when the investigation might be resolved. He had no update at the time, adding that the investigation did not affect transaction decisions made throughout the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it\u2019s out there. We know at some point there\u2019ll be a decision made,\u201d Frank said. \u201cWe very much feel the same thing that we told you back in September, that we\u2019re on the right side of this. And then, whenever they make the decision, they make the decision. But it really doesn\u2019t impact anything we do on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Clippers\u2019 actions suggested that, even if they expected a much more favorable result, they were preparing for a rainy day.<\/p>\n

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The Kawhi Saga: What the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers revealed<\/div>\n
Mike Vorkunov and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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