{"id":806542,"date":"2026-08-08T07:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/806542\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:03:17","slug":"one-technicality-could-save-kawhi-leonard-if-nba-finds-clippers-star-guilty-of-salary-cap-circumvention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/806542\/","title":{"rendered":"One technicality could save Kawhi Leonard if NBA finds Clippers star guilty of salary cap circumvention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/ Follow us on Google Discover <\/a> <\/p>\n

Kawhi Leonard\u2019s luck may help him after the conclusion of the NBA\u2019s ongoing investigation of LA Clippers circumventing the salary cap.<\/p>\n

Investigative journalist Pablo Torre\u2019s bombshell reports about Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer\u2019s LA Clippers circumventing the salary cap has been a major topic of discussion heading into the season.<\/p>\n

After all, if Leonard is found guilty, his trade to the Toronto Raptors could be voided. But that\u2019s only the case if the league\u2019s investigation reaches a conclusion before 2027.<\/p>\n

Right now, the investigation is in its arbitration stage, and this is something that works in favor of the 2x NBA champion.<\/p>\n

\"ClippersAllen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesKawhi Leonard won\u2019t be suspended even if found guilty by the NBA<\/p>\n

Assuming the NBA finds Leonard guilty in the Aspiration and Daktronics\u2019 alleged scandal, the punishment for cap circumvention isn\u2019t as harsh as one might think.<\/p>\n

In fact, according to Sportsnet\u2019s Michael Granger<\/a>, a suspension is entirely off the table for the Klaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe punishments for cap circumvention, it has been pointed out to me, are jointly negotiated by the NBA and the NBPA and written into the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement,\u201d Grange wrote.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cNowhere in that language does it say a player can be suspended for participating in cap circumvention.<\/p>\n

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\u201cInstead, per the CBA,\u00a0penalties for salary cap circumvention can include team fines, direct forfeiture of draft picks, the voiding of any player contract and a suspension of up to a year for any team personnel found to have engaged in such a violation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the player can be required to \u2018disgorge\u2019 whatever benefits they gained from a third party in a cap circumvention scheme. A player suspension is not on the menu,\u201d Grange further stated.<\/p>\n

In short, Leonard won\u2019t be suspended even if he\u2019s found guilty. The other route is for the investigation to get stuck in arbitration, as in, it drags on until 2027.<\/p>\n

In that case, Leonard can play for the Raptors as the trade cannot be voided until the salary cap circumvention investigation reaches its conclusion.<\/p>\n

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