Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is reportedly considering legal action against the NBA in response to the league's year-long investigation into salary cap circumvention. The investigation concluded that the team violated league rules, leading to the forfeiture of five first-round draft picks and a $30 million fine.
Pablo Torre, a podcaster and journalist who has been investigating the matter, suggested on the Dan Patrick Show that Ballmer intends to fight the NBA's decision rather than accept the penalties. "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.
Torre noted that the NBA's subsequent settlement with Kawhi Leonard and the Players' Union may have limited Ballmer's options. "The NBA said, well in that case, we’re going to do something that perhaps caught Steve Ballmer by surprise. They found a way to settle with Kawhi Leonard and the Players’ Union…They got Kawhi to settle," he explained. According to Torre, arbitration in the NBA can only be initiated by the Players' Union, making it unavailable to Ballmer following the settlement.
Ballmer, who was also suspended for one year from all league and team activities, reportedly reacted with anger to the investigation's findings. This stance aligns with a public statement released by the Clippers organization, which vehemently rejected the NBA's conclusions. The team's statement asserted that the investigation was biased and sought to justify a predetermined narrative, differing from what the league communicated privately. The Clippers pledged to challenge the findings and penalties through all available avenues, seeking an impartial arbitration process.
The NBA's investigation confirmed violations related to salary cap circumvention, a finding that the Clippers organization disputes. The team's statement expressed full cooperation in good faith over the past year and vowed to fight to demonstrate their innocence.