NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained the league’s decision to impose significant competitive penalties on the Los Angeles Clippers, saying the NBA wanted to punish the franchise for its salary-cap violations without causing permanent damage to the organization.
Speaking Tuesday, September 15, Silver said the league considered previous cases when determining the Clippers’ punishment and tried to balance competitive consequences with the interests of the league as a whole.
“That’s in some ways the most difficult part of adjudicating these disputes because while there have to be competitive consequences, in our view, if these rules are violated, we still want to be a 30-team league,” Silver said, via Mike Vorkunov. “We recognize that in some ways we’re unfortunately punishing the fans of that team as well.”
The Clippers were fined $30 million and stripped of their first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 following the NBA’s investigation into salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard and four companies doing business with the franchise.
Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension without pay and Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year without pay. Leonard was fined $700,000 but was not suspended, while his contract remained valid.
Silver defended the decision to include draft-pick penalties, arguing that financial penalties and suspensions alone would not provide the competitive consequence the league believes is necessary.
“I don’t think in any way we’ve done permanent damage to this franchise, but there’s no question this is a setback for the team,” Silver said. “The ultimate goal in terms of these type sanctions are to ensure that other teams don’t engage in this type of behavior in the future.”
Silver also confirmed that the Clippers were not represented at the NBA Board of Governors meetings because the franchise is in the process of appointing an interim governor. That individual will have to undergo the league’s vetting process.
The commissioner also said he recently met with Leonard but declined to discuss the details of the NBA’s negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association regarding the league’s handling of the case.
“I think we all agree it’s time to move forward,” Silver said of Leonard. “David Kelly represented his player well.”
The NBA’s punishment had complicated the completion of Leonard’s long-awaited trade from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. The deal, initially agreed upon June 30, sends Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and two second-round selections.
The transaction was ultimately approved by both teams Monday, September 14, after Los Angeles spent 13 days dealing with the consequences of the NBA’s ruling. The trade can now proceed through the league’s official trade process.
Silver also addressed separate inquiries involving Ballmer and the Clippers, saying there are investigations outside the NBA that the franchise and its owner are dealing with. He suggested that those matters may explain why Ballmer has been careful in how he has publicly described the situation.
“There are other inquiries that have nothing to do with the NBA that the Clippers and Steve Ballmer are now dealing with,” Silver said.
With the disciplinary process finalized, Silver emphasized that the NBA’s focus is now on enforcing its rules while allowing the Clippers to move forward.
