Clippers rumor opens door to reacquiring first-round picks stripped by NBA

Steve Ballmer’s decision to accept the NBA’s punishment may not be complete surrender.

It could be the Clippers’ only plausible path toward reclaiming some of the five first-round picks stripped from them.

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After initially threatening to explore legal remedies, Ballmer suddenly reversed course and announced Sunday that the organization had paid its $30 million fine and would comply with the penalties arising from the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap scandal. Ballmer and business president Gillian Zucker received one-year suspensions, while basketball operations president Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces the 13th pick in the NBA basketball draft on Friday, June 23, 2023, in New York. AP

CBS Sports raised the possibility that cooperation could eventually persuade commissioner Adam Silver to reduce the draft sanctions. The theory rests on one unusually relevant precedent.

In 2000, the NBA stripped Minnesota of five first-round picks after uncovering secret agreements designed to circumvent the salary cap in its dealings with Joe Smith. The Timberwolves initially lost their selections from 2001 through 2005.

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Only three picks ultimately disappeared.

The league restored Minnesota’s 2003 selection after owner Glen Taylor accepted his suspension and Kevin McHale agreed to a leave of absence, allowing both sides to abandon a prolonged dispute.

One year later, commissioner David Stern returned the 2005 pick, citing Minnesota’s conduct after the case and the severity of the other penalties.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits on the sideline before an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, March 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Minnesota Timberwolves team owner Glen Taylor speaks in Minneapolis on Friday, June 6, 2014. Taylor has reached an agreement on his $1.5 billion sale of the club to e-commerce mogul Marc Lore and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez. AP

That history does not create an official appeals process or obligate Silver to show the Clippers similar mercy. Los Angeles was identified as a repeat offender, and…

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Publish date : 2026-09-14 22:13:00

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