Credits: Imagn ImagesThe NBA cracked down on the Clippers salary cap circumvention allegations with arguably the harshest punishment in league history after a yearlong investigation into Kawhi Leonard.The league forced the Clippers to forfeit five first-round picks, which include four of their own (2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033), along with a 2029 first-round pick they received in the Ivica Zubac trade.They also fined the team ($30 million) and Kawhi Leonard ($700,000) for their roles in the scandal. They issued yearlong suspensions to team owner Steve Ballmer and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker. Furthermore, the NBA issued a six-month suspension to Lawrence Frank, the Clippers President of Basketball Operations.Other than a major fine, Kawhi Leonard was not punished for his role in the controversy, while his uncle, Dennis Robertson, took most of the blame. Leonards trade to the Clippers was not voided, and he is not facing any suspension.This did not sit well with Stephen A. Smith, who recorded an episode of his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, and admitted that he felt Kawhi Leonard got away unscathed from a situation that he may have caused.Let me get a couple of things out of the way. Number one, Kawhi Leonard got off easy$ 700,000 in restitution. Ladies and gentlemen, he owes tens of millions of dollars for the amount of time hes taken off work. I mean, Im going to say it one more time for yall to understand the magnitude.Listen, Kawhi Leonard should give master classes on how to get paid for not working. This brother has missed more action than a little bit, and its got his fingerprints written all over it, claimed Smith.Now, I know his uncle Dennis Robertson has been banned. It should be for life. It should be for life because this man, as Jeanie Buss has intimated in the past with the Los Angeles Lakers, and as numerous people have intimated after doing business with him, doesnt mind cutting corners and circumventing whatever rules or regulations.Clearly, not just to pad Kawhi Leonards pockets, but his own. And you could fire him all you want to just this last June. Well, damn. You had them all of these years while you could have collected all of these benefits, having a pretty damn good idea that there was some illegal activity going on. And now look what has happened, Smith added.See, this is where he keeps getting away with it: you dont do quotes, and you dont get quoted, and you dont do business. This is how Kawhi Leonard gets away with it because of being so damn quiet. He never says anything.His name just flies over it. Well, he was the one benefiting the most. And his uncle Dennis Robinson, I mean, damn. This is the only job you got in life that you got to milk and soak everything?And if I sound, ladies and gentlemen, why Im not happy. But you talk about justice being served when it comes to that man, the uncle, and Kawhi. I dont think its painful enough for Kawhi Leonard, Stephen A. Smith further said.Looking back at Kawhi Leonards arrival in Los Angeles, Stephen A. Smith later also reminded the Clippers fans what they gave up to get the former NBA champion to sign with them.They gave up the farm to get Kawhi Leonard: ladies and gentlemen, five first-round picks, two swaps, plus Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Do you know who Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is? Do you know that hes the reigning two-time league MVP? Do you know that hes an NBA champion and an NBA Finals MVP? Do you know that hes a brother thats averaged over 30 in four years, four different seasons? exclaimed Stephen A. Smith.Do you know that this is a brother that would have been a champion again in all likelihood had Jaylen Williams and Ajay Mitchell not gotten hurt? Do you realize who were talking about with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the top three basketball players on the planet?That brother, he was in a Clippers uniform. And Kawhi Leonard compelled them to move him to get his boy, Paul George, who wasnt really his boy. Thats what he did. Blackmailing the Clippers by threatening to go to the Lakers, Smith recalled.I aint going to get into how his uncle Robertson asked for, you know, helicopter rides and everything under the sun, every perk that you could think of. The man probably asked for his own personal foot rub nightly. I mean, thats how bad this dude was.Every perk that you could peel out of it, legal or illegal, circumventing salary-cap restrictions, and all that stuff, this didnt stop him from asking. Jeanie Buss told us that. That is what Robertson did. You damn right he deserves to be banned for life for sitting up there and circumventing these rules. They said hes banned. I dont know how long it should be for life for doing business with the NBA; he should be banned for life.I personally believe that Kawhi Leonard should owe more than $700,000. I personally believe that if he ended up collecting about $28 million from those endorsement deals with Aspiration that served to circumvent the cap, I think he should have to pay every penny of those dollars back.And Im not one to take money out of a players pocket. He should. You cant do that. You circumvent those rules and regulations, damn it. Your a needs to pay the price. Period. Period.Stephen A. Smith also took out his frustrations on Steve Ballmer, saying that his guilt in this matter has made him lose respect for the billionaire. Smith strongly criticized Ballmer for letting this happen on his watch, especially with a player like Kawhi Leonard.Having said that, the same applies to Steve Ballmer. The investigation took over a year. 30 million is nothing worth to a man like Steve Ballmer, whos worth about 40 to 50 billion. Its not worth it monetarily, but its worth a hell of a lot in terms of his reputation.Shame on you, sir. Shame that you were found guilty of this. And I like Steve Ballmer, I like Steve Ballmer. But you know what I cant get over, yall? That all of this was done for Kawhi Leonard. The worst superstar any team could ever have because hes injured half the time, and almost all the time he does nothing to promote the game. Nothing.Boy, can he play. Superstar player, but does nothing to promote the game. Whether you agree or disagree with most of the players in the NBA, it could be from anybody from Steph and LeBron to Klay to Draymond to Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant. They all promote the game. All of them except that man, Kawhi Leonard.I have never seen somebody who has engaged in such a dereliction of duty when it comes to promoting a brand that they represent more than him in any profession. Any profession. Any profession. Its back-page news when this dude gives you a quote. Never did anything to promote the game, Smith concluded.As a result of this verdict, the Clippers have gone from nine first-round picks over the next seven years to four first-round picks, none of which are tradable. Therefore, the Clippers are severely handicapped in making compelling trade offers in todays NBA.However, Kawhi Leonard, who has a net worth of $160 million and has made over $370 million in career earnings alone, was fined only $700,000 despite being the major beneficiary of most of the illegal benefits the Clippers allegedly gave him.The Clippers, who strongly maintain they are innocent, can only take this matter to court now to seek restitution for the verdict. Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, has been allowed to continue his career uninterrupted.Smith has always been a strong critic of Kawhi Leonard, so it is understandable why he thinks Leonard got away easily here. Only if a court revisits this matter outside the NBAs jurisdiction can Leonard now face a larger punishment than what he already has.It will certainly be interesting to see whether the Clippers take this matter to court. For now, it seems Kawhi Leonard has taken responsibility for his actions and is ready to move on to the next chapter of his career with the Toronto Raptors.