The Los Angeles Clippers opened their 2026-27 media day Monday, Sept. 28, at Intuit Dome with an apology, not a pep talk.

Interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden addressed reporters before any player took the podium, telling fans the franchise owed them more after the NBA levied the stiffest sanctions in league history over salary cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard.

"Our fans deserve to hear from us before this, and for that we're sorry," Redden said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "This franchise often has done its best work with its back against the wall."

The NBA announced Sept. 2 that the Clippers would be fined $30 million and stripped of five first-round draft picks, one each from 2029 through 2033. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for one year. President of business operations Gillian Zucker received the same one-year suspension without pay. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended six months without pay.

Leonard was fined $700,000. His former business manager and uncle, Dennis Robertson, was banned from conducting business with NBA teams for five years.

The league's investigation, conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found Leonard received $66 million in endorsement pay from four companies facilitated by Ballmer and Clippers executives, the Times reported. The four companies were Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.

The Clippers initially called the investigation "heavily biased," and Ballmer vowed to fight. He reversed course Sept. 13, confirming the team had paid the $30 million fine. In a statement that day, Ballmer said he accepted responsibility as the team's principal owner and apologized to fans, employees and fellow NBA owners for the distraction the matter caused.

The franchise is also subject to a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office.

With Ballmer sidelined and Frank serving his suspension, Redden is running basketball operations. The roster he inherits looks nothing like last season's. Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors. In return, the Clippers received forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks.

Ingram, 29, led the Raptors in scoring last season at 21.5 points per game. But Redden disclosed at media day that Ingram is recovering from a partially torn Achilles tendon and heel surgery. Ingram said the pain surfaced during his season in Toronto and that surgery was performed near the end of the season. No return date was announced.

The Clippers also added guard Darius Garland, 26, a two-time All-Star who arrived in February as part of the James Harden trade. Garland enters his first full season in Los Angeles as the team's primary scorer.

"I think we can surprise a lot of people," Garland said.

Rookie Keaton Wagler, 19, is the franchise's first top-five draft pick since Blake Griffin in 2009. Former Laker Rui Hachimura signed a two-year, $28 million deal this offseason after four seasons in Los Angeles.

Head coach Tyronn Lue enters his seventh season leading the Clippers, who went 42-40 last year, finished ninth in the Western Conference and lost in the SoFi Play-In Tournament. The franchise's streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons is in jeopardy. The Clippers are also without first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 from prior trades, meaning they will not control a first-rounder again until at least 2034.

The Clippers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome. They visit the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 23. Leonard's first return to Inglewood as a visitor is scheduled for Nov. 2, when the Raptors come to town.