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Danilo Gallinari has sent Kawhi Leonard a bill for his career detour.
The total: $50 million.
The proposed recipient: charity.
New York Knicks’ Danillo Gallinari reacts during the third quarter of a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, February 2, 2011, at Madison Square Garden. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The supporting evidence is considerably less tidy.
Speaking on the “A Cresta Alta” podcast, Gallinari blamed Leonard for ending his Clippers tenure in 2019, when Los Angeles included him in the blockbuster trade that brought Paul George from Oklahoma City.
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“He changed the trajectory of my career,” Gallinari said. “He should pay all $50 million, not just $700,000.”
The $700,000 refers to the fine Leonard received after the NBA determined that salary-cap rules had been violated through arrangements involving the Clippers. The franchise received a record $30 million fine, lost five first-round selections and watched owner Steve Ballmer receive a one-year suspension.
Gallinari’s attempt to connect that scandal to his own exit is stranger still. The cap case centered partly on a $28 million Aspiration endorsement agreement under which Leonard reportedly performed no promotional work—an arrangement made years after Gallinari had been traded.
Kawhi Leonard attends the Public School New York SS27 show at Starrett-Lehigh in New York City on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Madison McGaw/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Whatever the no-show scheme says about Leonard and the Clippers, it did not cost Gallinari his roster spot. Turning a later salary-cap violation into restitution for an earlier personnel decision requires combining two controversies that have little to do with each other.
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This seems to be Gallinari’s preferred punishment for a player he believes wielded enough power to redirect his life. Leonard wanted another star before joining the Clippers, prompting the front office to acquire George in a mammoth package that also included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and two swaps.
There is something understandable beneath Gallinari’s grievance. Players routinely learn they…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-veteran-blames-kawhi-leonard-165624622.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-14 16:56:00
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