NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard is “over” after team owner Steve Ballmer received a significant penalty of a one-year suspension.
The Clippers were fined $30 million and stripped of five first-round draft picks, while Leonard was fined $700,000 but avoided a suspension. The penalties come after the team was accused of circumventing the NBA’s salary cap.
Silver said the league’s Board of Governors has had extensive discussions about teams’ responsibilities to follow the rules.
“I think everyone in the room understands that part of the core responsibility of the league is to have a set of rules that everyone agrees to abide by, and it’s the league’s responsibility to enforce those rules,” Silver said.
“If found to be in breach of these rules, there will be appropriate consequences.”
Leonard trade finally completed
The Clippers and Ballmer are also facing investigations by the Justice Department, according to the New York Times.
Silver confirmed he had spoken with Leonard but declined to disclose the details of their conversation. He said both sides had agreed to move forward.
Leonard’s long-delayed trade from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors was completed on Monday, shortly after the NBA announced the penalties.
The penalty ranks as one of the harshest in league history, comparable to the penalty the Minnesota Timberwolves received in 2000 for circumventing the salary cap to sign Joe Smith.
The Timberwolves were also stripped of five first-round draft picks and owner Glen Taylor and executive Kevin McHale were suspended for one year. Commissioner David Stern later returned two of the picks.
Silver would not commit to similar relief for the Clippers.
“Because while there are bound to be competitive consequences, we feel that if those rules are violated, we still want to be a 30-team league,” he said.
“We recognize that in some ways we are unfortunately also punishing the fans of that team, so that’s the balance we’re trying to strike.”
Silver denies broader cap concerns
Silver insists he doesn’t believe the Clippers’ case shows salary cap circumvention is widespread across the NBA.
He also rejected the idea that the league should conduct a broader investigation into player agreements involving team sponsors.
“I’ve been in the league for decades,” Silver said.
“When other things are going on around the league, I’ll hear chatter from time to time. I’ve had a lot of conversations with general managers, team presidents, owners about the behavior that’s going on.
“We know there has been a decline over the years, but to my knowledge there hasn’t been anything of this nature.”
Silver added that he did not believe the penalties would cause permanent damage to the Clippers, although he acknowledged the team suffered a significant setback.