The NBA could be preparing to detonate a bomb on the Los Angeles Clippers’ season and the fallout might send Kawhi Leonard into the open market and ignite a bidding war among their fiercest rivals.

Since offseason allegations surfaced claiming the Clippers paid Leonard under the table, speculation has swirled around what punishment the league might impose. Now, one insider has outlined a scenario that would shake the NBA to its core.

“Maybe it’s a case where Adam Silver levies some sort of punishments, whether it’s forcing Kawhi Leonard’s contract to be invalidated,” NBA insider Tom Haberstroh explained. He continued, “If Kawhi Leonard is now a free agent, you’re going to see a frenzy for his services with the likes of the Lakers… the Golden State Warriors, or the New York Knicks… That actually, I think, would create more hysteria and chaos around the league than actually forcing the Clippers’ hand.”

The NBA’s investigation into the Clippers has been ongoing for months, with the league even bringing in a third party to assist. Now, commissioner Adam Silver is under heavy pressure to use them as an example for other teams around the league.

The NBA has precedent for such drastic action: In 2000, it voided Joe Smith’s contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves after uncovering a secret $86 million side deal to dodge salary cap rules, fining the team $3.5 million and stripping five first-round picks (2001-2005). This shows the league’s history of crippling penalties for circumvention, mirroring the gravity of the Clippers’ alleged violation with Kawhi Leonard.

What Haberstroh expresses, however, highlights that this would be less of a punishment for LA and creating havoc around the league. The consequences of a player of Leonard‘s caliber being suddenly released into free agency would give specific teams immediate power and turn them into contenders.

Haberstroh named three teams as the frontrunners in a race for Leonard. Let’s take a look at how he transforms them.

Kawhi Leonard’s Free Agency Would Reshape Three Contenders Overnight

The Golden State Warriors are in urgent need of any fuel. Stephen Curry is injured despite still playing at an elite level, and the franchise is in win-now mode.

They already traded Jonathan Kuminga midseason for Kristaps Porzingis, who looks promising, but losing Jimmy Butler to an ACL injury leaves the team missing a two-way wing. Leonard immediately fills that gap.

Curry, Porzingis, and Leonard would destroy defenses with perimeter shooting and inside-the-arc isolations, and on defense, he could cover for Draymond Green, who can’t consistently chase wings at this stage of his career.

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ pitch is based on star power. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves are the offensive backbone of the team, and adding Leonard would create probably the most talented four-man lineup in the league. Leonard wouldn’t need to dominate possessions as he did for the Clippers, instead focusing on defense and late-game scoring.

LA has already faced defensive issues this season due to its lack of a strong supporting cast, but Leonard would help remedy this and preserve James for the playoffs at his advanced age. Another advantage for Leonard is staying put in Los Angeles, which should be a plus point.

The New York Knicks might be on the opposite coastline of LA, but they might offer the cleanest basketball fit. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, in theory, are one of the best offensive duos in the league, and adding Leonard to the wing next to Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby would give the Knicks a devastating mix of shot creation and defense.

The defense, in particular, would be extremely important given Brunson and Towns’ lack of stopping power on that end, and Leonard gives the Knicks three elite perimeter forces to switch around Towns.