The NBA has announced its harshest punishment since it stripped the Timberwolves of four (eventually reduced to two) draft picks and voided Joe Smith's contract. The LA Clippers have had five (FIVE!!) first-round picks taken, and their owner, Steve Ballmer, has been fined 30 million dollars.
While those two are the only scandals in the same breath of consequences, the Clippers now have just three first-rounders in their possession: two from the Toronto Raptors as the return for Kawhi Leonard, the player the Clippers circumnavigated the cap for, and one (of two total) from the trade of Ivica Zubac.
That leaves the Clippers with very few avenues of acquiring young talent, whether in trade or in the draft. With so little wiggle room, the focus rests very clearly on those three future firsts and the services of former Pacer draft pick Illinois wing Keaton Wagler.
Wagler had a disappointing summer league in Las Vegas, shooting just 38% from the field and 31% from distance as his lack of athleticism was on display while he struggled to find open shots. While he ended with decent point totals, the rest of his game left a lot to be desired, especially for a top-five pick.
If Wagler continues that trend that worried many a Clipper fan, the little brothers of LA will instead have to focus on those picks they have from the Zubac and Leonard deals.
That Zubac deal has worked out quite well for the Pacers, with real avenues for improvement hidden within international play, so it stands to reason that Indiana is pushing every chip into the middle of the table to win a title immediately.
However, with that pick being the one lifeline for the Clippers organization, it will be the Pacers' responsibility to twist the knife in 2029 by giving LA the worst possible draft pick.
Joe Smith and Kawhi Leonard, same story once again
When the Timberwolves went under the table to sign Joe Smith, they did so for a player who was simply a decent fringe star with questionable fit. It's funny that the team with the lowest winning percentage in NBA history spent their "get-into-jail-free" card on such a middling player.
The Clippers, conversely, did so for a top-five player in the league in his prime. This past era of Clippers basketball may be one of the most talented we've ever seen, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as superstars on the wings, Zubac as a miraculous trade pickup for Mike Muscala of all players, and a bench that was often full of veterans who were happy and able to do multitudes of things.
The results remain the same for both players and teams. Neither won a title, even with their cheating advances.
The Clippers may be even more funnier of an outcome. They jeopardized the sport behind the wallet of one of the ten richest men in the sport, only to be once again universally recognized as chokers. When they finally started a rebuild with some great trades, they pay the piper with a punishment so harsh it may keep LA in the lottery for a long, long time with no reward.
The NBA felt bad for the Wolves in 2006. They will not do so for the cowardly Clippers.
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