# The NBA Actually Dropped THE HAMMER On Steve Ballmer And The Clippers

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hardwood-knocks-an-nba-podcast-47033/the-nba-actually-dropped-the-hammer-on-steve-ballmer-and-the-clippers
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hardwood-knocks-an-nba-podcast-47033/the-nba-actually-dropped-the-hammer-on-steve-ballmer-and-the-clippers.md
Podcast: [Hardwood Knocks: An NBA Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hardwood-knocks-an-nba-podcast-47033)
Published: 2026-09-04T08:00:04+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nba-actually-dropped-the-hammer-on-steve-ballmer-and-the-clippers--74888397
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74888397/clippers.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hardwood-knocks-an-nba-podcast-47033/episodes/the-nba-actually-dropped-the-hammer-on-steve-ballmer-and-the-clippers
Duration seconds: 3143

## Resource

Dan and Grant react to the NBA laying the SMACKDOWN on the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing the salary cap by facilitating sponsorship payments to Kawhi Leonard. TIMESTAMPS⤵️ 0:00 - INTRO 2:02 - Is the Clippers’ punishment surprising? 6:57 - Did Kawhi Leonard deserve a harsher punishment? 11:27 - The Clippers’ argument came back to bite them 18:28 - The Clippers’ letter to Adam Silver 27:35 - Long-term ramifications for other NBA teams 31:53 - People were wrong about Pablo Torre 35:43 - Will the Kawhi trade now go through? 37:04 - What happened with the ESPN report? 39:42 - Where do the Clippers go from here? 43:14 - Kawhi Leonard’s legacy 47:03 - There’s more to come SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶 SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️ TikTok: @hardwoodknocks Twitter @HardwoodKnocks Instagram: @hardwood_knocks Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale Dan's Twitter: @danfavale Dan's IG: @danfavale Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️ hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

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