After the NBA’s punishment for their salary cap circumvention pushed them back several years, the Clippers took a step in the right direction by completing the long-awaited trade of Kawhi Leonard back to the Raptors.

But make no mistake about it: The draft capital the Clippers received from the Raptors doesn’t absolve their cardinal sins on the salary cap.

It for sure doesn’t make up for the penalties the league brought down on the franchise.

And even though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t believe the Clippers’ punishments have done “permanent damage” to the franchise, the setbacks are too steep for one trade to help them overcome. 

In addition to owner/chairman Steve Ballmer being suspended for a year (plus a $30 million fine to the franchise), president of business operations Gillian Zucker being suspended for a year and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank being suspended for six months, the Clippers also forfeited five first-round draft picks – one in each in the 2029-33 drafts. 

The type of punishments that could make the franchise irrelevant for years to come.

The Clippers were already entering their version of a rebuilding before trading Leonard.

Trading James Harden to the Cavaliers for Darius Garland kicked off that rebuild. 

Sending Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for a package that included Bennedict Mathurin (now on the Pelicans), a 2026 first-round pick (drafted Keaton Wagler), a 2028 second-round pick via Dallas and a 2029 first-round pick further accelerated the rebuild that the Leonard trade fully entrenched the Clippers in. 

But the Clippers’ loss of first-round picks, and the overall lack of draft capital for the next several years, will make it challenging for the franchise to rebuild.

The Clippers received the Raptors’ unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks as part of the trade for Leonard, in addition to All-Star forward Brandon Ingram and 2023 lottery pick Gradey Dick.

Those are very important building blocks for the franchise in this new era. 

But that’ll give them just four first-round picks over the next seven drafts after entering the summer believing they’d have up to nine. And if the Stepien Rule applies to forfeited first-round picks, they’ll have zero first-round picks available to trade until the day of the draft for each first-round pick they have left. 

Again, a very challenging place to build back up from. 

The Clippers’ future isn’t completely hopeless.

They still have several young or in-their-prime good players on respectable contracts — players who can either develop or be traded for draft capital. 

But the Clippers’ future appears to be a lot bleaker now than it did even a couple of months ago. 

And even with the franchise receiving a life raft in the form of multiple assets via the Leonard trade that’ll help keep them from drowning in their own mess, the Clippers will continue to swim against the current trying to stay relevant entering the 2030s.

The little brother franchise in Los Angeles appears destined to leave fans frustrated with no hope in sight.