Kawhi Leonard is finally traded to the Toronto Raptors. The NBA concluded its investigation, fined the 7x All-Star $700,000, but found no direct links to the salary cap circumvention issue. His credibility definitely took a hit as many fans and analysts believed that it was a lenient penalty for the former Clippers star. But a former NBA star believes a harsher punishment in the future could be on the cards.
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Let’s not forget, Leonard won titles with the San Antonio Spurs (2014) and Toronto Raptors (2019). He is one of only three players in league history to win Finals MVP awards with multiple franchises. In fact, Klaw also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and is already part of the NBA 75th anniversary team. But a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction could still not be on the cards.
“When he retires, he will not get in there the first or second time,” Eddie A. Johnson said on the SiriusXM NBA Radio. “I just truly believe that they’re gonna blackball him for about three or four years before he gets voted in. He’ll eventually get in, but I think they’re gonna make him sweat.
“It’s not gonna be cut and dry, and it’s gonna show when guys that he played with get in before he does. That’s gonna be the message sent to Kawhi, and rightly so.”
The former Sixth Man of the Year turned Suns announcer felt character, integrity, and off-court issues can influence voters, even if the primary criteria remain on-court achievement and contributions to the game.
The lengthy investigation conducted by the law firm Wachtell Lipton stated that the Clippers affirmatively helped arrange or facilitate off-court endorsement and sponsorship deals for Leonard with companies that had business relationships with the team.
These deals effectively provided him with additional income beyond what the salary-cap rules allowed. One prominent example was a roughly $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration Partners (a sustainability/financial company that later went bankrupt).
Other companies involved included Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance. Kawhi Leonard’s uncle and then-business manager, Dennis Robertson, pressured the team for these opportunities.
The league found that Leonard, through Robertson, violated circumvention rules by successfully obtaining the deals and related benefits.
The Clippers also paid certain personal expenses and failed to properly report issues. That’s why they were fined $30 million (the largest in NBA history at the time) and forfeited five first-round draft picks (one each year from 2029–2033). In fact, three key front office executives were suspended, including owner Steve Ballmer. In comparison, Kawhi Leonard’s penalty was like a slap on the wrist.
Even Stephen A. Smith expressed criticism after Leonard’s trade to the Raptors was official. “I think it’s a da*n shame. I think it’s a travesty of justice. The fact that this man caused all the problems that he caused,” Smith said on First Take.
The two-time NBA champion paid a $700,000 fine and had no suspension. Since the 2026-27 season is set to be the final year of his deal, a two-year extension worth up to $123.7 million is on the horizon.
“But for him to cause all the trouble that he has caused for this organization and to walk away with nothing more than having to surrender $700,000 worth of restitution is a crime,” Smith continued.
“Kawhi Leonard and I said this the other day: he’s a gangster. I mean, to sit up there, he broke the rules, got caught, pointed the finger at somebody else, threw the organization under the bus, got his money, and left the country. I mean, damn, how much better can it get than that? That is what Kawhi Leonard has done.”
Again, there are no direct links proving Kawhi Leonard’s involvement in the Clippers’ salary cap scandal. He accepted responsibility for his actions (via representatives/inner circle). But, maintaining his innocence, he stated that he entered into the relevant agreements in good faith, without knowledge of any intent to circumvent the cap.