Overview
- Former Clippers player Matt Barnes told TMZ Sports on Thursday that the franchise is “cursed” and that Steve Ballmer should revisit a team name change he proposed when Ballmer bought the club in 2014.
- The NBA has confirmed major penalties for salary-cap circumvention that include the loss of five first-round draft picks and a one-year suspension for Ballmer, while media reports disagree over the size of any monetary fine.
- The scandal has already coincided with the departure of franchise player Kawhi Leonard, a loss that deepens the team’s short-term competitive and reputational damage.
- The roster faces added strain from health problems, with reports that Brandon Ingram, Max Strus and Bradley Beal are likely to miss the start of the season, increasing pressure on younger players and coaches.
- The Clippers’ current crisis revives the team’s troubled history going back to the 2014 Donald Sterling scandal, and interim president Trent Redden says the organization is apologizing to fans and trying to rebuild trust while debating whether symbolic steps like a rebrand could aid that work.