Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
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Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard
The Los Angeles Clippers and superstar forward Kawhi Leonard have been mired in drama over the last few weeks.
Leonard and the Clippers have been under fire for the Aspiration scandal involving the superstar’s contract. While it has been quite some time since the original report was made, punishments are beginning to become the focal point of the conversation.
Keeping that in mind, a new update has been shared that would see the NBA decided to focus its punishment on Leonard as opposed to the team.
Tim Kawakam of the San Francisco Standard has reported that Leonard will be the primary focus point of the punishment.
“A lot of rumors of the Clippers thing about to come down,” Kawakami wrote. “I heard it’s gonna be Kawhi-centric…The rumors I’ve heard is that it’s gonna be less about the Clippers and more about what’s gonna happen to Kawhi’s contract.”
Kawhi Leonard’s Contract With the Clippers Could Be Voided
One potential form of punishment the league could choose would be to void Leonard’s current contract. That suggestion was shared by NBA insider Tom Haberstroh.
“Maybe it’s a case where Adam Silver levies some sort of punishment, whether it’s forcing Kawhi Leonard’s contract to be invalidated, and I think that could be one of the things that is on the table,” Haberstroh wrote.
“That’s what David Stern did with the Joe Smith cap circumvention scandal with the Minnesota Timberwolves decades ago.”
That would be one way to send a message to both Leonard and the Clippers about following the rules. However, it would simply allow Leonard to work out a new deal, either with Los Angeles or another team.
Only time will tell what the NBA chooses to do, but it’s clear that Leonard is staring at a potential major punishment from the league.
Los Angeles Clippers Have Entered a Potential Rebuild
Depending on what the future has in store for Leonard with the Clippers, the team could be entering a rebuild.
Ahead of the NBA trade deadline this year, Los Angeles traded away both James Harden and Ivica Zubac. The Clippers acquired some young talent and draft capital in those moves, with the headline names being point guard Darius Garland and shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin.
It’s possible that Leonard could end up sticking around in Los Angeles. That option is not off the table at this point in time.
That being said, the Clippers are clearly focused on re-tooling at a minimum. A full-fledged rebuild could be on the way if Leonard does end up making his way out of Los Angeles.