The Los Angeles Clippers have operated under uncertainty all season. Since allegations surfaced in the offseason that the team paid superstar forward Kawhi Leonard under the table, many have speculated about what punishment the team might face. Now, one insider has revealed what it could look like and the repercussions it would have on the league.

“Maybe it’s a case where Adam Silver levies some sort of punishments [sic], whether it’s forcing Kawhi Leonard’s contract to be invalidated,” NBA insider Tom Haberstroh explained.

He continued, “If Kawhi Leonard is now a free agent, you’re going to see a frenzy for his services with the likes of the Lakers… the Golden State Warriors, or the New York Knicks… That actually, I think, would create more hysteria and chaos around the league than actually forcing the Clippers’ hand.”

The NBA’s investigation into the Clippers has been ongoing for months at this point, with the league even bringing in a third party to help with the effort. Now, commissioner Adam Silver is under heavy pressure to use them as an example for other teams around the league.

What Haberstroh expresses, however, highlights that this would be less of a punishment for LA and creating havoc around the league. The consequences of a player of Leonard‘s caliber being suddenly released into free agency would inject immediate power into the hands of specific teams, and immediately turn them into a contender.

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Haberstroh named three teams as the frontrunners in a race for Leonard. Let’s take a look at how he transforms them.

Kawhi Leonard’s Free Agency Would Reshape Three Contenders Overnight

The Golden State Warriors are in urgent need of any fuel. Stephen Curry is injured despite still playing at an elite level, and the franchise is in win-now mode. They already traded Jonathan Kuminga midseason for Kristaps Porzingis, who looks promising, but losing Jimmy Butler to an ACL injury means that the team is missing a two-way wing. Leonard immediately fill that gap.

Curry, Porzingis, and Leonard would destroy defenses with perimeter shooting and inside-the-arc isolations, and on defense, he could cover for Draymond Green, who can’t consistently chase wings at this stage of his career.

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ pitch is based on star power. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves are the offensive backbone of the team, and adding Leonard would create probably the most talented four-man lineup in the league. Leonard wouldn’t need to dominate possessions like he did for the Clippers, instead focusing on defense and late-game scoring.

LA has already faced defensive issues this season from their lack of strong supporting cast, but Leonard would help remedy this, and help preserve James for the playoffs at his advanced age. Another advantage for Leonard is staying put in Los Angeles, which should help as a plus point.

The New York Knicks might be on the opposite coastline of LA, but they might offer the cleanest basketball fit. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, in theory, are one of the best offensive duos inn the league, and adding Leonard to the wing next to Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby would give the Knicks a devastating mix of shot creation and defense.

The defense in particular would be extremely important given Brunson and Towns’ lack of stopping power on that end, and Leonard gives the Knicks three elite perimeter forces in switching schemes around Towns.