“I do think the Clippers are cursed”: Ex-Warriors champion makes bold revelation involving Steve Ballmer following a series of unfortunate events for the team

Last year, the Dallas Mavericks saw the wrath of fans and critics following Luka Doncic’s trade. After a series of unfortunate events, the team is rebuilding its status and roster. This year, the Clippers are in the same position, even worse. They have been under vehement criticism from the league, of course, and have had to endure huge punishments. Now, Ex-Warriors champion Matt Barnes shared that he had a solution before all this, as he suggested a name change for the team in a proposal to Steve Ballmer.Barnes thinks the Los Angeles Clippers need a new name. In his interview with TMZ Sports, the former Warriors champion called the franchise cursed and linked the idea to the salary cap scandal involving Kawhi Leonard. Barnes says he gave owner Steve Ballmer the same advice in 2014, when Ballmer bought the team, and people laughed. Since then the NBA has stripped five first-round picks, fined Ballmer and banned him for a year. Leonard is gone too. The Clippers are now working to win back fans who feel let down.Why does Matt Barnes think the Clippers are cursed?Matt Barnes made the pitch in 2014, when Steve Ballmer bought the team for $2 billion. Nobody took it seriously. “I do think the Clippers are cursed,” Barnes told TMZ Sports, adding the franchise needs a new name because the bad energy never left.The latest trouble brought the old joke back. The NBA ruled that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap in deals involving Kawhi Leonard, a case first exposed by a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation from the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast. The league’s 35-page report said the team helped arrange third-party deals between Leonard and vendors, then got those companies to sign by offering them business from the club.The penalties were heavy. Besides the loss of five first-round picks, Ballmer received a $30 million fine and a one-year ban from all league and team activities. Leonard was fined $700,000, and other team employees were also penalized too.The team has dealt with scandal before. Donald Sterling’s ban in 2014 pushed the sale to Ballmer forward, and the franchise has spent the years since trying to move past that image. A cap scandal twelve years later has pulled it back into the same spotlight. A new name would not undo either episode, though it would give the Clippers a visible fresh start.How have the Clippers responded since the NBA ruling?The first reaction was anger. The Clippers strongly rejected the findings and sent commissioner Adam Silver a letter calling the probe a “witch hunt.” The letter claimed Ballmer spent nearly $50 million to fund the probe, which an independent law firm ran. Ballmer has long denied the allegations.A legal fight never looked promising. The NBA said the discipline was agreed with the players’ union and is final and binding, and league bylaws offer no route to contest the investigation. Ballmer chose to accept the punishment and skip a legal battle.The tone changed at the team’s media day. Interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden told fans they deserved to hear from the team sooner, “and for that we’re sorry.” Redden said the club has been hearing the concerns of its fan base and wants to rebuild trust and keep its promises. He added the franchise tends to do its best work when cornered, and he wants the Clippers to meet this stretch the same way.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.