NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the league’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard as “closed” after a major penalty that led to owner Steve Ballmer being suspended for a year.
The Clippers were fined $30 million and stripped of five first-round picks, while Leonard was fined $700,000 but avoided a suspension. The penalties followed allegations that the franchise circumvented the NBA’s salary cap.
Silver said the league’s Board of Governors has had extensive discussions about teams’ responsibility to follow the rules.
“I think everyone in the room realizes that part of the league’s primary responsibility is to have a set of rules that everyone agrees to operate under, and the league’s responsibility to enforce those rules,” Silver said.
“If these rules are found to be violated, there will be appropriate consequences.”
The Leonard trade is finally complete
The Clippers and Ballmer are also facing a Justice Department investigation, according to the New York Times.
Silver confirmed that he spoke with Leonard, but refused to reveal the details of their conversation. He added that the two parties agreed to move forward.
Leonard’s long-awaited trade from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors was completed on Monday, shortly after the NBA announced its sanctions.
The penalty ranks among the harshest in league history and has been compared to the penalties imposed on the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 for circumventing the salary cap when they signed Joe Smith.
The Timberwolves were also stripped of five first-round picks, while owner Glenn Taylor and CEO Kevin McHale were suspended for a year. Commissioner David Stern later reinstated two of the selections.
Silver will not commit to providing similar relief to the Clippers.
“Because even though there should be competitive consequences, from our point of view, if these rules are broken, we still want the league to be 30 teams,” he said.
“And we realize that in some ways, we are unfortunately penalizing the fans of this team as well, and that is the balance we are trying to strive for.”
Silver dismisses concerns about a broader cap
Silver insisted that he does not believe the Clippers case indicates that salary cap circumvention is widespread in the NBA.
He also rejected the idea that the league should launch broader investigations into player agreements involving team sponsors.
“I’ve been in the league for decades,” Silver said.
“I pick up conversations here and there when other things are happening in the league. I’ve had a lot of conversations with general managers, team presidents and owners regarding the type of behavior that’s going on.
“We know there has been slippage over the years, but nothing like this I’m aware of.”
Silver added that he did not believe the penalty caused lasting damage to the Clippers, although he acknowledged that the franchise suffered a major setback.
