The Los Angeles Clippers could be headed toward a legal fight with the NBA after the league found the franchise violated salary-cap circumvention rules.
The punishment was severe, with the Clippers losing five first-round picks and receiving a $30 million fine. Owner Steve Ballmer was also suspended for one year.
Pablo Torre, whose reporting helped expose the controversy, believes Ballmer could respond by taking legal action against the league.
“What can Steve Ballmer do? He can literally sue the NBA,” Torre said.
According to Torre, the NBA previously attempted to settle the matter with Ballmer, but the Clippers owner chose to fight the allegations.
“When the NBA tried to settle with Steve Ballmer, and they said, ‘Hey we have a narrow scope, we have undeniable evidence, we want to just make sure that you have the opportunity to take your punishment, admit wrongdoing, and let us all move on.’ Steve Ballmer – according to everything that we’ve seen now play out in public after that ESPN story two weeks ago – decided to fight,” Torre said.
The NBA later reached a settlement with Kawhi Leonard and the Players’ Union, potentially limiting Ballmer’s ability to pursue arbitration.
The Clippers have strongly rejected the league’s conclusions.
“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 said.
The organization also vowed to continue challenging the punishment.
“For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence.”
With Ballmer reportedly unhappy with the ruling, Torre believes a lawsuit against the NBA could be his next move.
