In the Clippers crisis, the 76ers may be the biggest winner!

This week, Meadowlark Media reporter Pablo Torre revealed a big news:

The Los Angeles Clippers may reach a 28 million sponsorship agreement with a limited liability company managed by Leonard, with the purpose of avoiding the NBA salary cap.

If the NBA finally determines that these allegations are true, the Clippers may be in an unprecedented storm.

Under the express provisions of the league agreement, the team and affiliated agencies shall not enter into "transactions involving any form of compensation, consideration or other valuable items" with the players, nor shall they reach an agreement with any third party to pay the player's service fees through the hands of a third party. After the revelation of the news, the Clippers denied the violation as soon as possible, but this problem has not been resolved yet. From the worst-case perspective, the final penalty imposed by the league is absolutely terrifying enough:

fine of up to 7.5 million, confiscation of team draft picks, ban on team-related personnel, and even the invalidation of Leonard's contract.

And if we really get to this point, the Clippers' future will definitely suffer a devastating blow, but for the Philadelphia 76ers, this accident is likely to be good news.

Time goes back two years ago, the Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers, in exchange for a large number of chips, including two future first-round picks and one first-round swap. Although one of the draft picks has been swapped, they still hold the first round of 2028 when the Clippers are completely unprotected, and they also hold the rights to swap the Clippers in 2029.

And this is not just the entire first round that the Clippers owed other teams. The team's completely unprotected first-round draft pick in 2026 has been promised to the Thunder, and the Thunder still has the right to exchange the Clippers for the first round of 2027. In short, the Clippers have little control over their first-round picks until 2030.

If the NBA ultimately deprives the Clippers of one or more first-round draft picks, the draft picks in 2026 or 2028 will be basically unaffected, and this part has been promised to the Thunder and the 76ers; while the draft picks in 2027 and 2029 may face the risk of being deprived of them by the league.

Apart from that, for the Clippers, the real trouble may come from Leonard himself. If the league eventually cancels his contract, it will be a devastating ripple effect.

Leonard's guarantee contract this year is 50 million, and 50.3 million in the 2026-27 season. As of now, the only players signed by the Clippers in 2027 are Zubac and 25th-time rookie Niedhauser, which means that if Leonard's contract is invalidated by the league, the Clippers are likely to face a blank season.

And what is even more worrying is Harden's stay or leave. Harden holds a 42.3 million player option in the 2026-27 season, and also has a 42.3 million team option in Bogdanovic (16 million), Lopez (9.2 million), and Batum (5.9 million).

If Leonard eventually leaves the team, will Harden be willing to stay in a team that lacks core partners, or can the Clippers find a new superstar to convince Harden to stay in the team?

With Doncic, Fox, PJ Washington and others recently renewed their contracts with the team, the free agent market shrank severely in 2026, and the remaining big-name stars and the only shortlists left are basically difficult to fill the team's core position.

If Harden chooses to leave after the contract, the Clippers will face another choice:

Should we choose to keep Bogdanovic, Lopez, and Batum, or to completely shuffle the cards and start from scratch and try to pursue star stars again?

The salary limit under the new labor-capital agreement also greatly increases the risk of subsequent operation. The team must reach the lower salary limit on the first day of the regular season, otherwise it must pay an additional salary to fill the red line, which invisibly increases the difficulty of management operations.

It is obvious that before this sudden accident, the Clippers' prospects are gradually worrying, but for the 76ers, it is likely to be a rare opportunity. The faster the league's investigation progresses, the higher the value of the unprotected 2028 first round in Philadelphia will be in the market, and it may even become the hottest trading chip.

Regardless of the final investigation results and the league's punishment, the 76ers are likely to be the winner of the last laugh. The Clippers' crisis is an excellent opportunity for smart teams, just to see if they can seize it.