By now, you probably know about what happened to the Los Angeles Clippers. For circumventing the salary cap in a case involving Kawhi Leonard, the NBA dropped the hammer.
The league stripped them of five first-round picks. The Clippers also received a $30 million fine. Their owner, Steve Ballmer, was suspended for a year. So is their president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, without pay. Lawrence Frank, their president of basketball operations, is on leave for six months. He is also suspended without pay. Leonard, now with the Toronto Raptors, was fined $700,000. He was not suspended.
Depending on how closely you follow the NBA, you may or may not be aware that the Milwaukee Bucks remain under an active salary cap circumvention investigation. The reason is the contract they signed Gary Trent Jr. to this offseason and the suspicion it raised.
Just like with the Clippers' punishments, that probe could benefit the Boston Celtics.
What did the Bucks do wrong?
In July, Milwaukee inked Trent to a four-year, $64 million contract. That's quite the reward for averaging 8.1 points, 1.2 assists, and shooting below 40 percent from the field in the 2025-26 campaign.
It's a deal that raised eyebrows -- especially after the former Duke Blue Devil was underpaid the previous two seasons. The average annual value of his prior pact was just $3.8 million.
The NBA's investigation could reveal evidence to the contrary. However, it looks like a situation that reeks of salary cap circumvention. As hosts Yossi Gozlan and Sam Quinn recently discussed on the Third Apron Podcast, it feels naive to think Leonard's case is the only example of this happening in the NBA.
It's harder to have concrete enough evidence to punish a team for using Bird rights to dance around the rules. The exception is when a franchise is as blatant about it as the Bucks may have been with Trent.
Why would the Celtics benefit from the Bucks' punishment?
It's simple, really. Milwaukee just embarked on a rebuild. The organization finally accepted that returning to title contention with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the helm was unlikely. As a result, he is now a member of the Miami Heat.
Like Boston after trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, the franchise from Brewtown is entering a new era. Its roster now features a lot of young talent.
However, for the most important players in their future success, like this year's lottery picks, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, they have promising potential that needs to convert into production. That may or may not pan out. Seeing a youth movement crash and burn is hardly uncommon. And now the Bucks have to worry about losing draft picks.
If they do, they probably won't forfeit as many as the Clippers. However, it could create even more pressure on them to develop the players they already have. The Eastern Conference is already a gauntlet. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has a path to ascend as some of their competitors see their windows close. If that climb gets steeper, it's a win for the Celtics and the rest of the teams on that side of the bracket.
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