That wasn’t a slap on the wrist.

Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA cut off the Clippers’ hands and left them bleeding at the table Wednesday afternoon.

After a yearlong investigation, the NBA’s punishment for the Clippers’ circumvention of the salary cap related to Kawhi Leonard’s recruitment to Los Angeles started with the forfeiture of five consecutive first-round picks starting in 2029. That’s a near-fatal blow to a franchise that just started a rebuild and owes first-round picks to Oklahoma City as part of the infamous trade that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder for Paul George.

Owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all team and league activities for a year after helping Leonard line up off-the-court endorsements with potential sponsors Aspiration, Daktronics, Boingo Wireless and Lockton Insurance, according to the NBA’s investigation. At least, the $30 million fine assessed to Ballmer won’t make much of a dent on his financial sheets.

Gillian Zucker, the Clippers’ president of business operations, is suspended without pay for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank got a six-month version of the same penalty. The franchise will also be monitored for a five-year period to ensure future compliance with NBA’s rules.

It didn’t take long for the Clippers to take exception to the punishment.

“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team’s release started. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure its fairness and accuracy.”

While the statement concluded with the Clippers committing to pursue arbitration, though there’s reportedly no such route available to the team, according to the association’s bylaws.

Leonard, who was fined $700,000 for his involvement, took some responsibility for his side in an individual statement. It helps he’s headed back to Toronto and won’t be part of the punishment beyond the fine once his trade back to the Raptors is formally processed.

“Integrity and respect for the game are fundamental to who I am,” Leonard said in a statement. “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family. I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”

The Clippers previously received a $250,000 fine for a similar incident during DeAndre Jordan’s free agency in 2015. That seemed to impact the punishment, which is stiffer than the one Minnesota faced for an under-the-table agreement with Joe Smith in 2000.

Getting a grip on rebuilding will be almost impossible for the Clippers until the price is paid with the final forfeited draft pick in 2033.