Clippers Punished by NBA: What the Five Lost Draft Picks Mean for Their Future

Did we just witness the biggest punishment in NBA history? Did Kawhi Leonard get off easy with no punishment? The Clippers got fined $30 million, lost five first-round picks, and Steve Ballmer is suspended for one year from attending any games. This is an absolutely massive punishment from the NBA, and it could have a major impact on the Clippers for years to come.

The biggest question now is whether the punishment is severe enough and whether it could change the way NBA teams approach situations like this in the future. Losing five first-round picks is something that can affect an organization long after the current players are gone. For the Clippers, this isn't just about money or missing Ballmer on the sidelines for a season — this could affect the future of the entire franchise.

Steve Ballmer's one-year suspension is probably the least significant of the punishments, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. Ballmer is someone who has always brought a ton of energy to Clippers home games. He has done so much for the Clippers organization ever since he bought the team in 2014. Not having him at home games is definitely going to feel like a hole, like something missing at the games.

Ballmer has also become one of the most recognizable owners in the NBA because of how involved and energetic he is with the team. Seeing him jumping around, celebrating big plays, and interacting with fans has become part of the Clippers' home-game atmosphere. So while a one-year suspension might not hurt the Clippers on the court, it is still a significant punishment for an owner who has made his presence such a big part of the organization.

This was the biggest fine in NBA history, and it may seem like pocket change for Steve Ballmer, but this was no joke. The NBA may have been making a point with this fine and setting a precedent on not tolerating this type of stuff. The message from the league is pretty clear: even the richest owners and most powerful organizations in the NBA aren't going to be completely protected from serious punishment.

The money is one thing, but the message behind the punishment could be even more important. The NBA clearly wants teams to understand that there can be serious consequences when the league believes its rules have been violated. Whether this punishment is enough to prevent similar situations in the future is something we'll have to wait and see.

The biggest punishment of this whole thing is losing the five first-round picks. This really puts into perspective how serious the NBA is taking this. Any one of those picks could end up being a player that changes the Clippers' franchise forever. Each one could end up being an important piece that the Clippers desperately need, especially as their current roster gets older.

The Clippers just lost five opportunities to potentially find the next star of their franchise. Those picks could have been used to draft young talent, traded for established players, or packaged together to make a major move. Now, those options are gone. That's what makes this punishment so damaging — the Clippers aren't just losing something today, they're losing valuable assets that could have helped them build their team years into the future.

For a team trying to compete for a championship right now, losing those picks could be especially painful. The Clippers are going to have to be much more careful with their roster construction moving forward because they have fewer draft assets to fall back on.

Kawhi Leonard may have gotten off a little easy compared to everyone else's punishment. Leonard received a $700,000 fine, which is no small fine by any means, but he was still expected to go to the Toronto Raptors with no suspension or anything else. I've been of the belief that he should still be able to play and go to the Raptors, but when you look at all the punishments that were handed out and then look at Kawhi Leonard's punishment, it just seems like he got off easy compared to everyone else, even though he still had a part in everything that happened.

At the end of the day, $700,000 is a lot of money, but compared to losing five first-round picks and having the team's owner suspended for an entire year, it feels like a completely different level of punishment. That's what makes Kawhi's punishment stand out to me. The question isn't whether $700,000 is a significant fine — it obviously is. The question is whether his punishment matched the severity of the situation.

This whole situation was a really messy one, and the NBA has shown that it is taking this very seriously and giving out the punishments they believe every party involved deserves. The Clippers as an organization are going to hurt more than anything, especially after losing those five first-round picks. Whether it's a fair punishment or not isn't for us to say, but at the end of the day, everybody involved knew what they were getting themselves into when they all agreed upon it.

Now the Clippers have to live with the consequences. Five first-round picks, a $30 million fine, and their owner being suspended for a year is going to have an impact on this organization far beyond this season. Only time will tell whether this punishment changes how teams operate in the future, but one thing is clear: the NBA wanted to make an example out of the Clippers, and they certainly did.