The NBA‘s full investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers has finally been resolved, with the league penalizing both sides and prompting a reaction from Leonard. The penalties have sparked a debate across the league, and Draymond Green was not going to stay quiet.
Green reacted to the NBA punishment handed down on the Clippers during The Draymond Green Show. “Five first-round picks — that is, including the picks that the Clippers just picked up in a trade from Cleveland with Darius Garland and James Harden. That includes all of the assets that they’ve acquired. If I’m not mistaken, it includes some of the picks from the Zubac trade as well,” Green said.
“That’s where the hammer is dropped. It’s crippling for a franchise — for an organization. Especially a franchise that just went through a six-to-seven-year period of thinking they’re right there with the possibility of winning.”
The Clippers will suffer the consequences
Green focused heavily on the long-term fallout for the franchise, pointing out everything they had built up to this point and everything they lost due to these poor decisions. He recognized that the Clippers will likely go through one of the hardest periods in their history for a long time.
Kawhi Leonard of Los Angeles Clippers.
“And now, you’re in a space where you have to reset — just got a top-5 pick in Keaton Wagler. And all of a sudden, you have to do that with losing five first-round draft picks. It may stick the Clippers in purgatory for a long time to come.”
Green believes the added pressure left in the wake of Leonard‘s no-show endorsement deal leaves the Clippers and their players in a tough position ahead of the 2026-27 season.
“It makes you think what certain players like Darius Garland — how are they going to look at being in this place now? A coach like Ty Lue, how does he look at being in this place now? It’s going to dampen the vibe around the Clippers,” Green added.
