What if Kawhi Leonard signs with a contender on a minimum contract? What does that do for competitive balance? Won’t that be hugely distorting to the playoff chase?Inside Adam Silver's conundrum: https://t.co/bscCYFzqUH— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 17, 2025

From the above article:

This problem arises from two sides. First, is the league actually penalizing the Clippers by voiding the contract, or is it doing them a favor? Leonard is due to make $50 million next year and, while still an elite player when healthy, has constantly missed time with injuries. (You’ve no doubt already heard the jokes about Aspiration being his second no-show job). Without Leonard’s money on the books, the Clippers will have max cap space in the summer of 2026 and could either completely pivot to a new roster or even, perhaps, try to poach LeBron James from the rival Lakers.

That brings up the second aspect of voiding the contract: Could they leave the $50 million on the Clippers’ 2027 cap and still void the contract? Amazingly, for a document of this size, the exact mechanics of how this works aren’t clearly spelled out, and the definitions in Article I of the CBA don’t include “void contract” as an entry. Opposing teams are surely rooting for this penalty, but to me that seems an unlikely endgame — it’s basically double jeopardy, giving the Clippers the cap hit without the player.

A more interesting question, perhaps, is whether the commissioner could put the money Leonard received from Aspiration onto the Clippers’ 2026-27 cap, as this had never been charged to their books in any previous season. That would eliminate the double-jeopardy concern above and still deprive L.A. of a cap-space bonanza; it would also partly satisfy complaints from other owners that the Clips should pay luxury tax for the Aspiration money that Leonard received in previous years.

Finally, we get to the most vexing part of voiding the contract, and why I ultimately think it’s a big problem for the league: The mayhem that would ensue in the free-agent market.

Training camp is just around the corner, nobody has any cap space, and the league is likely weeks — if not months — away from completing its investigation. That’s before it even gets around to setting up a hearing with an arbitrator and deciding the case; we might be halfway through the season before we get any kind of resolution.

So, can you imagine if Kawhi Leonard were suddenly an unrestricted free agent halfway through the season, one who is forbidden from re-signing with the Clippers? What if he decides he just likes being in L.A. and signs with the Lakers for the minimum? What does that do for competitive balance? For that matter, what if he signs anywhere for a meager salary — won’t that be hugely distorting to the playoff chase?

I presume 28 other owners would be absolutely howling if Leonard joined a contender while making a small exception, but there’s no good way for Silver to ensure any kind of market-rational outcome for a midseason free agent of this caliber. The only end run I could see around this would be to suspend Leonard for the season, which seems both unduly harsh and a precursor to a nasty fight with the players’ union.

In some ways it’s much easier, from the league side, if it can drag the whole process out until the spring and then void the contract once the regular season has ended, setting up an orderly process for Leonard to find his next team in the summer. Failing that, it might be easier for the league to keep Leonard’s contract on the Clippers’ books and instead hammer them with a cap charge for the extra money Aspiration funneled his way, or come up with other novel punishments.

So, that’s the landscape facing Adam Silver right now if he and an independent arbitrator both deem the Clippers guilty of cap circumvention. If so, the loss of several draft picks and a fine and year-long suspension for Ballmer are almost a given.

The real question is what happens with Leonard’s contract. In a vacuum, I’m sure the league would likely prefer to establish the precedent of voiding the contract. In reality, it could prove so problematic to execute fairly with a player of this caliber in the middle of a season that the league decides they’re better off not bothering.

I absolutely agree, Stan. It takes two to cheat on the salary cap. This is the one type of situation where the League cannot back down out of fear for the players. In the end, we’re talking about the integrity of the sport that’s made them millionaires. Any penalty that the Clipper s are given should also be given to Kawhi Leonard.

Good read about Luka. (Also, Pelinka describing Luka as an “illusionist” rather than “magician” slayed me. I mean, one of his nicknames is literally “Luka Magic!” But Pelinka will always opt for the fancier word. Never change, Rob.) AK https://t.co/XbY79ejC6C pic.twitter.com/LVDkRtopoQ— Kamenetzky Brothers (@KamBrothers) September 17, 2025

Potential Penalties for Clippers and Kawhi Leonard in Circumvention Case—Leonard punishments:• Void his contract and prohibit him from re-signing with the Clippers• Require him to return the money he received from Aspiration• Fine up to $350,000— Clippers/Personnel… pic.twitter.com/bUt4znnbXG— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 16, 2025

If LeBron and Luka both have MVP seasons…

LeBron James about Luka Dončić after he signed an extension.https://t.co/gpe8tbk9dW pic.twitter.com/gPb9qNLEli— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) September 16, 2025

Herb Jones would be an excellent addition to Lakers.

From above article:

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:
-Quentin Grimes (via Sign-And-Trade)

Philadelphia 76ers Receive:
-Jarred Vanderbilt
-Dalton Knecht
-2031 Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick

If the Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of Andrew Wiggins falls short, the franchise could pivot to an alternative trade idea centered on Quentin Grimes, a restricted free agent currently tied to the Philadelphia 76ers. While Wiggins remains the more proven veteran fit, Grimes offers a younger, cost-controlled option who could blossom into a future star alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic en otra portada, ahora para el Wall Street Journal. Luka pareciera estar en todos lados ahora que forma parte de los Lakers, esa es una característica para empezar la narrativa de MVP pic.twitter.com/JHuD59IlW8— Lakers On 𝕏 (@LakersOnX) September 16, 2025

Needs Gabe’s contract to work.

Wow! 2/3’s of an actual fake trade!!!

Tom and I chatted about this on the Lakers Fast Break podcast we did Sunday and I’m all in. Agreed on everything you say, though, lots of corporate hurdles to overcome.

Great idea!!

In addition, they should take a 5 minute break in the middle of each quarter so that all the players can refresh with some orange slices and Capri Suns.

Or better yet….Halt the season entirely around the middle of March then resume it around August to ensure that everyone is healthy & well-rested for the playoff run. Maybe play the whole thing at…I don’t know…Disney World?

Look….If a team wants to limit their superstars to 25 minutes a game then more power to em. But you’re gonna have to figure out what to do in those other 23 minutes. NBA games have always been 48 minutes and there has never been a rash of injuries like we’re seeing now…so that ain’t the problem. And this was when teams were playing 3 games in 4 nights and traveling on busses & trains & commercial flights. Somebody smarter than me needs to take a real in-depth look at what they’re doing wrong in the training & development of these guys going all the way back to high school.

Don’t think he can be signed to a two-way so nope. Maybe offer him a camp invite? Might as well keep the relationship healthy but this season, being that we’re hard-capped, makes it very difficult to waive a player and sign another. Waived players still count against the cap.

Nope. Would have to waive a guy and we’re hard-capped. Could happen in January…maybe…