Why wasn’t Kawhi Leonard’s contract wasn’t voided? The differences vs. NBA’s last major cap circumvention case

After almost exactly one year since the investigation started, the NBA handed out penalties on Wednesday from its probe into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard over cap circumvention regarding endorsement deals Leonard signed while in L.A. The Clippers were docked five first-round draft picks and fined $30 million while owner Steve Ballmer and other execs were suspended. Leonard will have to pay the NBA $700,000, but he was not suspended.

The penalties for the Clippers mirror what the Minnesota Timberwolves received the last time there was a major cap circumvention case. The one more than 25 years ago was about a contract given to Joe Smith. But the major difference concerns what happened to the player involved.

Here's a look at the two punishments:

Forfeit 5 NBA Draft picks (two returned)

Owner Steve Ballmer suspended for one year

Owner Glen Taylor suspended for one year

President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank suspended for 6 months

General Manager Kevin McHale suspended for one year

President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker suspended one year

The Clippers' fine is obviously steeper, but given that franchise valuations have increased nearly tenfold since then, it is in line with NBA inflation. Otherwise, the…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/