Danilo Gallinari believes Kawhi Leonard got off far too lightly for his involvement in the Los Angeles Clippers’ salary cap scandal.
Leonard was fined $700,000 by the NBA following its investigation into the Clippers’ dealings with Aspiration, but Gallinari believes his former replacement in Los Angeles should be paying considerably more.
“In my opinion, since he changed the trajectory of my career — he got me in trouble by sending me away from Los Angeles — he deserves to pay all $50 million of that money he took. He has to pay it all,” Gallinari said during an episode of the “A Cresta Alta” podcast.
Gallinari, who also suggested Leonard should donate the money to charity, has a personal connection to how the Clippers built around their new superstar in 2019.
The same day Leonard signed with Los Angeles, Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Paul George to the Clippers.
While the move ultimately worked out well for both players, Gallinari said his frustration came from having the direction of his career changed by another player rather than a front office.
“My NBA journey didn’t depend on a GM, an owner … but it was taken by a player,” Gallinari said. “A player who decided that the team wasn’t good enough, that he wanted something else.”
The $50 million figure referenced by Gallinari relates to money Clippers owner Steve Ballmer reportedly invested into Aspiration, the company that allegedly paid Leonard at least $28 million through “no-show jobs” designed to circumvent the salary cap, according to Yahoo Sports.
The allegations were initially uncovered by the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast and eventually triggered an NBA investigation.
That investigation resulted in Ballmer receiving a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension from team activities. Leonard was fined $700,000 but avoided a suspension.
The Clippers have since moved on from Leonard, completing a trade that sent him back to the Toronto Raptors on Monday after the deal had been held up by the investigation.
Leonard is now cleared to begin the 2026-27 season with Toronto, but Gallinari clearly believes the NBA should have hit him with a much bigger bill.
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