Adam Silver and the NBA’s salary-cap circumvention investigation concluded with Kawhi Leonard fined $700,000, but the criticism surrounding the veteran is far from over. While part of the spotlight is on the illegal demands made by his uncle, Dennis Robertson, who represented him, a former Los Angeles Clippers player is taking fans back to the time when Steve Ballmer was hell-bent on bringing Leonard to LA.
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In 2019, Ballmer realized the Clippers would need a running mate alongside Leonard to persuade him to join them rather than the Lakers or the Raptors. They immediately traded for Paul George, sending Danilo Gallinari, rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps in return. Years later, Gallinari wants his money back…
“In my opinion, considering he altered the trajectory of my career and landed me in a mess by shipping me out of LA, he deserves to pay all $50 million of that money he took,” Gallinari said in Italian on A Cresta Alta. “He ought to give it to charity, since he has to pay it anyway, let it go to a good cause. But first and foremost, he absolutely has to pay it.”
In the season ahead of the trade, Gallinari played really well, averaging a career-high 19.8 points per game. He started all 68 games he played. The Nuggets brought him in for a specific long-term purpose, and he later signed a $65 million extension. Despite leading LA to a 48-34 season, the front office’s eyes still turned to Leonard, who became a free agent that summer.
Gallinari mentions having a “fantastic” season with the Thunder, and openly admits he was the one “who ultimately paid the price” and who “suffered the consequences.”
“My NBA journey wasn’t shaped by a GM or an owner, it was shaped by a player,” Gallinari said. “A player who decided the team wasn’t working and wanted something else. That set off a chain of events that, as you can see, were far from normal.”
“What happened to my NBA career wasn’t decided by a general manager or an owner, but by a player who decided that team wasn’t good enough and wanted something else.”
The $50 million figure Gallinari mentioned isn’t from the NBA’s fine. It’s roughly what Leonard is set to earn this season. Leonard’s actual league penalty is less than a million. The Clippers were separately fined $30 million and lost five future first-round picks.
Gallinari went on to play a season for the Thunder, helping them make the 2020 playoffs, followed by a two-year stint at the Hawks and then the Celtics. An ACL tear caused him to miss the 2022-23 season. Gallinari returned but never started a game again during his subsequent stints with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks. He retired soon after.
Meanwhile, Leonard hasn’t said much beyond his initial statement when the fine came down, saying he accepted responsibility for “lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle” and regretted the distraction it caused. He also has not addressed Gallinari’s comments directly.
Whether or not the league revisits the scope of Leonard’s penalty remains to be seen, but Gallinari’s comments add another voice to a story that’s already reshaped how one of the league’s most decorated recent title runs came together.