Steve Ballmer’s nightmare isn’t going to go away anytime soon. However, many statements the Clippers release, an NBA player knows how this is going to pan out. Robert Horry has experienced enough of the NBA business in 16 seasons and four teams to tap into it. And he has a very ominous prediction for what is coming for the Clippers. Especially given that the NBA is officially investigating whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap.

To recap, The Athletic’s Pablo Torre ran an exposé that revealed Kawhi Leonard signed a no-show sponsorship deal with a bankrupt company called Aspiration. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested in the company, but both he and the Clippers deny allegations that they paid a player off the books. According to the latest updates, it might be difficult to prove that Ballmer knowingly signed off on this deal.

Robert Horry talked about the situation on Big Shot Bob this week, and he had to remind his co-hosts that the NBA is an entity of its own. It’s not going to operate like a standard law enforcement body. So, he believes Ballmer and the Clippers have to be prepared for major consequences.

“A lot is going to come of this,” Horry told his co-hosts before outlining the most likely outcome. “They’re probably, number one, going to lose some draft picks. They’re probably going to get a hundred thousand- hundred million dollar fine. The sum going to be ridiculous.”

Losing draft picks and a hefty fine are to be expected, even though the Clippers organization welcomed an investigation to prove their innocence. As many social media users have pointed out, a $28 million payout did indeed happen to Leonard. For that, the team is going to pay.

“I’m only saying $100 million just to throw it out there because it’s going to be a hefty fine. It might be $100 million because we know that Ballmer got it. And so they’re gonna fine him, they’re gonna probably forfeit some games… It’s gonna be something ridiculous when they get it. Probably no playoffs, so the games they playing aren’t even going to f—— count,” he said.

Horry additionally reminds that the Clippers’ history will factor into the punishment. One of the first things Adam Silver did as NBA commissioner was to force the sale of the Clippers due to their previous owner, Donald Sterling’s scandals. When Ballmer bought into this franchise, he had the additional responsibility of keeping the Clippers unblemished from further scandal. So while he might not face the same consequences as Sterling, Horry expects he’ll have to take responsibility.

“It’s going to be something because if you think about it, the guy says the N-word and loses his team… and this is like cheating. The ultimate cheating the system. So I know he’s not gonna lose the team, but he’s gonna get a hefty fine.”

Horry’s co-hosts almost tried to play devil’s advocate after the latest updates in the NBA investigation. But Big Shot Bob had a reality check for that, too.

Clippers’ fate is inescapable

Among the many public statements Ballmer and the Clippers have made in response to Pablo Torre’s report, they’ve maintained that they were the middlemen who connected the potential sponsor to one of their players. They deny that it was a no-show deal to go around the salary cap rules. As Horry warned multiple times, the league’s board of governors is a different story.

Horry and his friends applauded Torre for bringing out such a dramatic accusation with proof – or as they put it, ‘receipts.’ Because the 7x NBA champion also confirmed what everyone is thinking. “It has been done before. I know a couple of situations. I just won’t bring it up… I don’t have receipts. I just got word of mouth.”

Even though this is common, as Horry says, there’s no proof of the way Torre brought it out. Nor is it going to be swept under the rug. According to The Ringer, NBA execs are not buying Ballmer’s story. They can’t believe Aspiration could hand a player $28 million without the team asking them to. According to the same outlet, when NBA execs saw Torre’s report, they had one unanimous reaction – “They’re f—–.” 

They undoubtedly have the same thoughts as Horry. Apart from a potential league-wide effect, some severe consequences are coming Steve Ballmer’s way, whether he’s involved or not. And just when there was a tiny bit of hope for Ballmer, in comes Big Shot Bob with another well-timed shot.