Kawhi Leonard leaves destruction in his wake yet again and Spurs fans can relate

The NBA has dropped the anvil on the Clippers as a result of a cap circumvention investigation into their dealings with Kawhi Leonard that took over a year. LA is losing five first-round picks, Steve Ballmer will be banned for a year, and a whole host of other penalties.

There's a version of this story Spurs fans have already lived through. The betrayal of their once-beloved superstar. The vague explanations. The years of rebuilding that followed. So when the NBA came down on the Clips with one of the harshest penalties in league history, I felt empathy for a fan base that did nothing wrong but will suffer with the franchise anyway.

Sounds familiar, right? Kawhi has done it twice now: caused chaos and damage on his way out the door while getting a clean slate himself.

The NBA dropped the hammer on everyone but Kawhi Leonard

The league's investigation found that the Clippers spent years steering money to Leonard through companies with business ties to the team without the NBA's knowledge. They paid him off the books, covered personal expenses, and sat on reports of improper solicitation from his business manager at the time, Dennis Robertson.

Spurs Nation will remember Uncle Dennis if they were cheering for the team during that catastrophic saga. It was rumored that the Klaw's uncle was one of the biggest factors in the eventual split. Well, apparently, he's still up to his old tricks. This time, he roped Steve Ballmer into it, and now they're all being punished for it... Well, everyone except Kawhi.

Leonard will pay $700,000 and keep it moving. The former 2x Defensive Player of the Year made $50 million last season on the court. That doesn't take his off-court endorsements into account (the legitimate ones).

Paying that fine won't hurt him at all. Instead, the LA-Toronto trade will be finalized, and he'll start fresh with a talented Raptors team that has enough talent to contend. The transaction was paused while the NBA wrapped up its investigation, and since it has officially concluded, the deal will move forward.

Crushing teams is Kawhi's M-O

Meanwhile, the Clippers' future is crushed by a guy who didn't win them anything but cost them everything. Leonard demanded that the team trade for Paul George before he signed with them back in 2019. It cost them Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first-round draft picks to acquiesce to that demand, but LA did it. That's a whopping 10 first-rounders lost for six years of Kawhi-driven angst.

San Antonio feels their pain. He's the same man who cost the Silver and Black their 22-year playoff streak. He tarnished the Spurs' reputation as a player-friendly organization. A small-market team that already struggles to land free agents can't be seen as anti-player.

Because of him, Coach Popovich never got another shot to win a sixth ring, never again having the talent on the roster to do what he did best at the highest level. Tim Duncan handed this man the keys, and he threw them out the window before diving out of the driver's seat.

But at least the Spurs got a championship out of their time with the San Diego State product, and things are looking brighter than ever.

What he's done to Clippers fans is more than brutal, though. It's soul-crushing, and I feel for them.

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