The NBA has stripped the Los Angeles Clippers of five first-round draft picks and fined the franchise $30 million after finding the team circumvented salary cap rules to sign star player Kawhi Leonard as a free agent, according to multiple reports.
The sanctions represent one of the biggest punishments in league history, officials said. The team will have no natural first-round pick in the draft from 2029 through 2033.
Owner Steve Ballmer has also been handed a one-year ban as part of the penalty, reports indicate.
The league found the Clippers violated salary rules when courting Leonard, authorities confirmed. Details of how the franchise circumvented the cap were not immediately disclosed in available reports.
The $30 million fine amounts to approximately £22.2 million, according to reports.
