The talk of the summer around the NBA is the ongoing investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
According to documents obtained by former ESPN reporter Pablo Torre, Leonard signed a $28 million endorsement deal for a “no-show job” with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50 million from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Torre, who hosts the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, claims the deal was done to circumvent the salary cap.
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The NBA has since launched an investigation in those claims, which Ballmer has denied. If they’re found to be true, one of the many potential penalties is the forfeiting of Clippers draft picks.
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The Thunder has the rights to a 2027 unprotected first-round pick swap with the Clippers. It was acquired as part of a three-team deal in 2023 that saw Philadelphia send James Harden to Los Angeles.
OKC received the rights to the 2027 unprotected first-round pick swap and cash considerations from Los Angeles. It sent the least favorable of its 2026 first-round picks to Philadelphia.
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How does Kawhi Leonard investigation affect OKC Thunder?
Los Angeles has five first-round picks at its disposal through the year 2032, and all of them could be forfeited if it’s penalized. That was the case in 1999, when the NBA penalized Minnesota five first-round picks for signing an illegal agreement with Joe Smith to circumvent the salary cap.
But the Thunder won’t be affected if the Clippers are forced to forfeit their 2027 pick, as explained by The Athletic’s John Hollinger. In that scenario, Los Angeles’ forfeited pick would be the lesser of its own pick, OKC’s pick and Denver’s pick.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder not affected by Kawhi Leonard, Clippers investigation