NBA Nears Decision on Clippers Salary-Cap Probe as Investigation Enters Ninth Month

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the league is approaching the point where it must conclude its investigation into whether the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap. Silver spoke at Frost Bank Center before Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. He declined to set a specific deadline but said the time to wrap up the inquiry is drawing near.

"My instruction to them is we can't be investigating forever, but at some point, we have to wrap it up," Silver said. " The investigation is being conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The firm is paid by the NBA yet operates independently of the league office.

Silver said the firm is far along in its work and that both the Clippers and the other 29 teams need finality. The probe began in September and centers on whether the Clippers funneled money to star Kawhi Leonard through his $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration. Aspiration also held a $300 million, 23-year endorsement agreement with the team.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $60 million in Aspiration and has denied knowledge of Leonard's deal or directing the company to enter it. Aspiration has since gone bankrupt. Its co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

Silver said he would base any discipline on the independent firm's findings rather than on public perception. "My job is to follow the facts," he said. Silver also addressed last week's passage by the league's board of governors of his proposed draft-lottery reforms aimed at curbing tanking.

He said tanking is not new but became acceptable behavior more quickly this season, with roughly a third of teams responding to incentives to finish near the bottom of the standings. He added that the perception of a very deep draft class may have compounded that behavior.