POLL: Possible outcomes for Kawhi and Ballmer

[picc]

What if Kawhi's punishment is a lifetime contract with the Clippers?

[JayMKE]

I think Ballmer is guilty of fraud or conspriacy or something like that, I don't see how Ballmer investing $50M into this company to pay more than half to Kawhi Leonard for a no show job isn't complicit in defrauding other investors. I would assume Ballmer's investment and involvement in this now bankrupt company drove other victims to invest in this fraud. Ballmer is too smart to get caught but was a victim of scammers, I don't follow this logic. The ego of these billionaires is why I 100% believe they are that damn stupid to think they wouldn't get caught or their tremendous wealth would insulate them from any consequence. This is just the criminal side of it, the NBA itself needs to come down hard on Ballmer and I believe he should receive a lifetime ban from all NBA team activities, fined the maximum allowable amount(still nothing for Ballmer) and be told to sell the team as Donald Sterling and Robert Sarver were. This is corruption and far worse for the reputation of the league, it needs to be taken very seriously.

Kawhi I don't think has legal exposure but I think he should be suspended for a year for his part in the scheme unless he cooperates with the NBA investigation and gives actionable information.

The Clippers should lose five 1st round picks just like Minnesota did, I don't know how this can be swept under the rug when what Ballmer is accused of is way more egregious.

So serious legal consequences and banishment from the NBA for Ballmer, suspension for Kawhi, docked picks for the Clippers

[Sofia]

Prison?

Adam “Hi Ho” Silver finna ride up on a horse, throw a rope over Balmers big round belly and drag him to jail.

[Larry Ellison]

Prison?

You obviously don't realize how serious the courts take fraud. I work at a financial institution and I've seen it happen from bottom dwellers all the way up to the senior management and owners. Entire banks have folded due to fraud and seniors have seen jail time.

What would be the fraud here though?

The fraud was perpetrated by Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC. The founder has already pled guilty in court to fraud. The consequences are severe if convicted. But most people who commit fraud get away with it. Prosecutorial resources are limited. No fraud from Clips or Kawhi.

[NO-KG-AI]

Ballmer will lose picks, and Kawhi will get to go sign with the Lakers.

[Wallace_Wallace]

Ballmer will lose picks, and Kawhi will get to go sign with the Lakers.

LeBron be like, “I’m facing elimination, kind of need you Kawhi.”

Kawhi then replied, “I don’t even know where you sitting at.”

[bkkrh]

If things turn out to be exactly as stated and it doesn´t result in some major consequences for Kawhi and Ballmer (from a League perspective, not talking about prison), I really think I´m done with the NBA. I understand it´s a business and it´s about making money, but I feel more and more that at this point there is for any better word no more soul in the league. It´s like there isn´t a single Month with an absolute greed situation, while everybody is making more money than ever already.

Owners not wanting to expand, so they don´t need to share the ridiculous amount of TV money with 2 more teams. That´s 6.67% less per team. The betting situation. Cuban complaining about teams not receiving about money for the Olympics and so on and so on.

Well, luckily I can always just focus on the German league, where the cheapest tickets cost less than a hot dog at an NBA game .

[Larry Ellison]

If things turn out to be exactly as stated and it doesn´t result in some major consequences for Kawhi and Ballmer (from a League perspective, not talking about prison), I really think I´m done with the NBA. I understand it´s a business and it´s about making money, but I feel more and more that at this point there is for any better word no more soul in the league. It´s like there isn´t a single Month with an absolute greed situation, while everybody is making more money than ever already.

Owners not wanting to expand, so they don´t need to share the ridiculous amount of TV money with 2 more teams. That´s 6.67% less per team. The betting situation. Cuban complaining about teams not receiving about money for the Olympics and so on and so on.

Well, luckily I can always just focus on the German league, where the cheapest tickets cost less than a hot dog at an NBA game .

I feel this. The league has become more corporatized. You see this in the development plans for each new arena. Integrated with real estate and retail, apartments, etc. There are partnerships between the league and teams w/ corporate support in so many ways. I don't know where to draw the line. Kawhi facts are so extreme ... is the only reason we are talking about this.

[California Gold]

Prison?

You obviously don't realize how serious the courts take fraud. I work at a financial institution and I've seen it happen from bottom dwellers all the way up to the senior management and owners. Entire banks have folded due to fraud and seniors have seen jail time.

I just don't really understand how this would be labeled fraud for Kawhi or Ballmer unless Ballmer was knowingly committing fraud. Logically speaking Ballmer himself committing fraud seems unlikely given how much he has to lose but then again I guess who knows. Kawhi certainly wasn't committing any fraud, he may have broke league rules but him receiving money for an "endorsement" isn't exactly fraud.

Prison would be a long shot here for either person unless there's something out of left field here.

[-Luke-]

- Large million dollar fine for Ballmer, which is pocket change for him.
- Small million dollar fine for Kawhi which is almost pocket change for him and Ballmer will pay it under the table anyway. Maybe something like a 25 game ban when he's injured on top of that.
- League will take a first or two from the Clippers, which they don't need anyway as they attract enough free agents. Ballmer won't make the under-the table payment that obvious next time.

This is way too big of a story for Silver to just ignore it. So there will be some punishment that looks like much, but isn't. Silver can say he came down hart in the Clippers and the persons involved. The media will forget about it quickly. We all know it's a joke, but what can we really do.

[MrGoat]

Lmao prison. We're talking about a mega billionaire here

[iggymcfrack]

None of these are right. You just have crazy huge consequences or nothing. I would vote that Kawhi’s contract gets voided but the Clippers still have to count it against their salary cap plus the extra $28 million, the Clippers lose some 1st rounders, and there’s fines for both Ballmer and Kawhi.

Kawhi will still be able to play this year, but for a lot less money than he would be able to otherwise and he’ll probably sign for a lot less next year in free agency. Ballmer will still be an owner and he certainly won’t go to jail, but the Clippers franchise will be set back about 4 years.

[Bloodbather]

Death penalty for both.

In seriousness, probably hefty fines for the parties involved and a couple of picks forfeited for the Clippers.

[sisibilio]

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/aspiration-partners-co-founder-charged-and-agrees-plead-guilty-248m-scheme-defraud-investors

Probably has something to do with this



Not saying Ballmer personally had a hand in it, but the thing seems to be a slush fund

Ballmer was an investor in a fraudulent company. That makes him a victim.

Salary cap violations are not a crime. Aspiration paying Kawhi $28M to do nothing not a crime by Kawhi. It is a poor use of money and perhaps criminal fraud by a company whose founder was a Board member owing a fiduciary duty to its investors.

I voted nothing happens to Ballmer or Kawhi. Mark Cuban explained it on Twitter. Ballmer is not this dumb.

I think the fly in the ointment for Balmer is that there are other parties exposed to risk that might be more than willing to throw him under the bus. For NBA purposes, I don't think the bar to meet is necessarily legal culpability anyway. All it takes is someone from one of the other camps to implicate him and the league will have to take some sort of action. IMO.

Well, of course the Clippers and Kawhi Will be sanctioned by the NBA, that's a given. The question is if they could also be punished in a civil or penal court, which seems unlikely.

[Mavrelous]

If this was Herb Simon or Tom Gores, I would expect a very harsh response, but with Ballmer, I don't think it'll be as harsh, I don't think the owners, and by agency, Silver, want to rock that boat.

[zimpy27]

Kawhi has been awful quiet since these allegations dropped

[manlisten]

Just a reminder that nothing ever came of the investigations into Kevin Porter Jr. and Jaxson Hayes last season. To be fair, it seems like Porter had false allegations against him and Hayes was more of a retroactive situation that he'd already paid his dues for (never suspended by the league). But the fact that the NBA never even followed up on these situations and just let it blow over without explanation appears to be their preferred way of handling these incidents.

[Daddy 801]

What the hell is this thread/poll?

[WarriorGM]

People seem to think Kawhi is largely off the hook but I must wonder if he reported that $28 million in income to the IRS. Can the NBA require its players to allow it to inspect their tax returns?

[CS707]

Ballmer was an investor in a fraudulent company. That makes him a victim.

Salary cap violations are not a crime. Aspiration paying Kawhi $28M to do nothing not a crime by Kawhi. It is a poor use of money and perhaps criminal fraud by a company whose founder was a Board member owing a fiduciary duty to its investors.

I voted nothing happens to Ballmer or Kawhi. Mark Cuban explained it on Twitter. Ballmer is not this dumb.

I think the fly in the ointment for Balmer is that there are other parties exposed to risk that might be more than willing to throw him under the bus. For NBA purposes, I don't think the bar to meet is necessarily legal culpability anyway. All it takes is someone from one of the other camps to implicate him and the league will have to take some sort of action. IMO.

Well, of course the Clippers and Kawhi Will be sanctioned by the NBA, that's a given. The question is if they could also be punished in a civil or penal court, which seems unlikely.

The question was regarding the possible outcomes for Ballmer and/or Kawhi, including league action. The specific conversation point I was responding to was the opinion that nothing would happen to either.