MLB: Here’s what Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers’ punishment can be compared to

Let's step away from baseball for a moment and turn our attention to the NBA, where the lengthy investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard regarding a possible circumvention of the salary cap has finally concluded.

According to the league, the investigation conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz revealed a pattern of multiple significant violations by the Clippers regarding the league's salary cap.

The California-based team reportedly entered into an agreement with a now-defunct tree-planting company, which then transferred $28 million to Leonard. Other questionable sponsorship deals over the past year have also come to light, involving off-court revenue opportunities between Leonard and four companies doing business with the team.

The result? The Clippers had five first-round picks (2029–2033) stripped from them, and the franchise was fined $30 million.

Owner Steve Ballmer has also been suspended from all team and league activities for one full year. Team president Lawrence Frank has been suspended for six months, while Gillian Zucker, the team's president of business operations, has been suspended without pay for one year.

The organization is also subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the NBA office for the next five years.

For his part, Leonard was fined $700,000, and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, is barred from conducting business or interacting with NBA teams regarding any player, employee, or other member of the league or the team for five years.

It's harsh, but it's deserved.

Let's get back to the matter at hand, though, as we can compare this situation to that of the Houston Astros and the sign-stealing scandal—albeit on a smaller scale.

In early 2020, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the results of the lengthy investigation into the case, which confirmed that the Astros had illegally used a video camera system to steal signs during the team's games in 2017 and 2018.

As a result, manager A.J. Hinch was suspended for the 2020 season and was ultimately fired by the organization. General manager Jeff Luhnow was suspended for the same season and subsequently fired by the Texas team.

Former assistant general manager Brandon Taubman was also suspended for one year after being fired for lying about making misogynistic remarks to reporters.

Houston also lost its first- and second-round draft picks for the next two seasons and was fined $5 million—the maximum amount allowed by MLB.

Not a pretty sight in either case.

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