NBA expansion and Clippers ruling: Adam Silver reveals timelines

The clock is ticking on the NBA’s massive investigation into the LA Clippers and potential salary cap circumvention. Speaking ahead of Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that while he won’t set a strict deadline, the time to "wrap it up" is drawing near.

The high-stakes probe, led by independent law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, kicked off last September. Investigators are looking into whether the Clippers illegally funneled money to superstar Kawhi Leonard through a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration. The green banking company held a massive $300 million partnership with the team, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had personally invested $60 million into the firm. Ballmer has firmly denied any knowledge of Leonard’s individual deal, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.

Adding intense fuel to the fire, Aspiration has since gone bankrupt, and its co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on wire fraud charges. Despite the public noise surrounding the criminal sentencing, Silver insisted the league will not act on narrative alone. He emphasized that the independent firm will present its findings, and it will be his sole responsibility to hand down any potential discipline based strictly on the facts. Finality is crucial, Silver noted, so that the Clippers and the rest of the league know exactly what rules they are operating under moving forward.

Beyond the Clippers saga, Silver dropped several major updates on the future landscape of the NBA:

The War on Tanking: The NBA Board of Governors just passed Silver's proposed draft lottery reforms aimed at stopping teams from racing to the bottom. Silver admitted the league was caught off guard by how quickly tanking became "acceptable behavior," noting that nearly a third of the league intentionally regressed to cash in on a highly anticipated, deep draft class.

Expansion Timelines: The league will make a final, firm decision on expanding to Las Vegas and Seattle by the end of 2026. Silver stressed it is not a foregone conclusion that both—or either—cities will get a team, but multiple ownership groups are currently in active discussions.

NBA Europe is Coming: Plans for a revolutionary, 16-team European league are fully on track for a 2027–28 season debut. The structure features 12 permanent franchises and four rotating slots for other European clubs to play their way into. Final ownership bids for the new teams are due by the end of June, and the NBA plans to move forward whether or not they finalize an integration deal with the existing EuroLeague.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada