After months of speculation and back-and-forth, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has finally shown some teeth. Just when it seemed that the Los Angeles Clippers and Steve Ballmer would get off easily for their clear violations of salary cap rules, they've laid the hammer on them.
For more than a year, sports journalist Pablo Torre unveiled mountains upon mountains of evidence, paper trail, and even testimony to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Clippers knowingly circumvented the salary cap to pay Kawhi Leonard under the table.
Leonard and his uncle Dennis had already tried to pull off that shtick in 2019, and Ballmer had already been punished for trying to go around the cap, so this wasn't much of a surprise. But now that the dust is starting to settle, where does that leave Darius Garland? Most likely out of Inglewood.
The Cavs clearly won the Darius Garland trade now
James Harden left town right on time, it seems. The Clippers have been stripped of five first-round picks, meaning they won't have a first-round selection through the 2034 season. And with Leonard gone, their chances of winning an NBA championship are even slimmer.
As such, Darius Garland might have to be the odd man out. The Clippers got him to replace Harden with a fellow All-Star who was ten years younger, but that was before all hell broke loose. Now, he's probably their most valuable trade chip.
While Garland has struggled with consistency and injuries, he's still a young three-level scorer with playoff experience and a former first-round selection. He might be their best shot at recouping one or two first-round selections and maybe even young players to kick off a rebuilding process.
Garland didn't do much in his first year with the Clippers. He was pretty banged up and had to wait before making his debut with his new team, ultimately averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 19 contests with his new team (17 starts).
Injury issues aside, he's talented enough to convince someone to roll the dice on him and save him from the Clippers' disaster. Also, with Rich Paul calling the shots in his career, it's hard to believe he'll be in Los Angeles for much longer.
Who knows? Maybe the Cavs can even find a way to get him back home, though it would take some serious financial juggling. But after everything that has transpired with this scandal, we wouldn't put anything past it.
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