The NBA has handed the Los Angeles Clippers their biggest-ever punishment after finding salary-cap violations linked to Kawhi Leonard. The team will forfeit five first-round picks and pay $30 million, while owner Steve Ballmer faces a one-year suspension. The Clippers rejected the findings.

Los Angeles: The NBA has imposed the biggest punishment in its history on the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer after a year-long investigation found that the franchise circumvented salary cap rules to benefit star player Kawhi Leonard, according to The New York Times.

As part of the punishment, the Clippers will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033 and have been fined USD 30 million.

Ballmer has also been suspended for one year for knowingly attempting to help Leonard secure off-court business opportunities, according to the New York Times.

The league said Ballmer approved a business deal between the Clippers and Aspiration, an arrangement that investigators found was linked to Leonard's sponsorship agreement with the company.