<\/p>\n
Stephen Curry has weighed in on the fallout from the Los Angeles Clippers\u2019 Kawhi Leonard scandal, and the Warriors superstar wasn\u2019t shocked by the NBA\u2019s decision to come down hard on the franchise.<\/p>\n
The Clippers were stripped of five first-round draft picks and fined $30 million after the league concluded its investigation into salary cap circumvention involving Leonard and potential endorsement deals.<\/p>\n
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was also suspended from all league and team activities for one year, while Leonard received a $700,000 fine.<\/p>\n
Asked about the punishment and whether the severity of the NBA\u2019s ruling surprised him, Curry said the lengthy investigation gave him confidence that commissioner Adam Silver had reached the appropriate decision, according to ClutchPoints.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t surprised,\u201d Curry said<\/a>. \u201cI think the reason the investigation took as long as it did, and Steve Ballmer, I\u2019ve gotten to know, he\u2019s a great guy, who\u2019s standing by the punishment, so there\u2019s a reason that\u2019s all happened the way that it has, and at the end of the day, Adam Silver had a job to do, and I think the punishment makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballmer has accepted the NBA\u2019s ruling despite disagreeing with aspects of the league\u2019s findings, while Leonard has denied intentionally violating league rules.<\/p>\n The investigation ultimately brought an end to an already disappointing Clippers era.<\/p>\n Leonard has since been traded back to the Toronto Raptors, ending a seven-year run in Los Angeles that never produced the championship the franchise envisioned when it landed him in 2019.<\/p>\n His arrival also triggered one of the most consequential trades in recent NBA history. At Leonard\u2019s request, Los Angeles acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a blockbuster deal that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a massive collection of draft capital in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n The Clippers now enter their next chapter without Leonard and with Ballmer sidelined for the season, while also facing the long-term consequences of losing five future first-round selections.<\/p>\n And judging by Curry\u2019s reaction, the scale of the punishment wasn\u2019t unexpected.<\/p>\n For the four-time NBA champion, the league took its time investigating the situation before making its call, and ultimately, \u201cthe punishment makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n