The Los Angeles Clippers are under investigation for allegedly skirting the NBA’s salary cap, and the outcome could reshape the franchise after being urged to pursue Zion Williamson. Punishments could range from fines and suspensions to draft pick forfeiture, or in the worst-case scenario, Kawhi Leonard’s contract being voided.
While commissioner Adam Silver is not expected to hand down a ruling for several months, the Clippers are already being advised to make a bold move before their assets are potentially stripped away.
Los Angeles should pursue New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh suggested.
“If the Clippers trade for a star using their picks, what could Silver do about it? As long as the investigation is ongoing, the answer is almost certainly nothing,” Haberstroh wrote. “Freezing a team’s assets for the duration of an investigation would cause an all-out revolt among the other owners — the opposite of Silver’s ‘innocent until proven guilty’ decree last week. Ultimately, Silver’s hands would be tied until the verdict came in.”
Williamson’s career has been defined by dominance when healthy and long stretches on the sideline. In six seasons, he has topped 30 games played only twice. But with the Clippers already a proven 50-win team, adding Williamson would mean slotting him into a contender rather than asking him to carry a franchise.
Haberstroh framed it as, “If you’re able to stomach the injury-riddled Leonard, why not double down? From the Pelicans’ side, they sport a new front office led by Joe Dumars, and new regimes have been known to clean house so they can start with a blank canvas.”
A potential deal could send John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr., two future first-round picks in 2030 and 2032, plus a 2031 swap to New Orleans. That would give the Pelicans the draft capital and flexibility to rebuild around Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, while opening up $26.5 million in cap space next summer.
For the Clippers, the gamble would create a lineup featuring Leonard, Williamson, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Ivica Zubac, with Chris Paul, Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Nicolas Batum available off the bench.
