Adam Silver discusses Clippers punishment, NBA expansion, why Blazers leaving Portland would be 'failure' — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Adam Silver declared the Clippers' salary-cap punishment final — five first-round pick forfeitures, a $30M fine, one-year unpaid suspensions for Steve Ballmer and Gillian Zucker, a six-month suspension for Lawrence Frank, and a $700K payment from Kawhi Leonard — shutting down any hope of picks being returned like the Timberwolves recovered in the Joe Smith saga.
- Steve Ballmer initially rejected the NBA's findings as "heavily biased" but reversed course Sunday, apologizing for the "distraction and distress" the investigation caused, just as reports surfaced that Kawhi Leonard's trade back to the Toronto Raptors was re-agreed to Monday night.
- Tom Dundon purchased the Trail Blazers for $4.25 billion in March and has since slashed spending across departments, prompting interim coach Tiago Splitter's exit after reportedly being low-balled and the unprecedented one-year deal for new head coach Micah Nori.
- The Moda Center ranks at the bottom of NBA arenas, Silver said, framing a state-of-the-art replacement as essential to keeping both the Trail Blazers and Portland's WNBA team viable long-term — though he stopped short of endorsing owner Tom Dundon's vision for how to get there.
- The NBA's second apron will remain in place through the CBA's 2030 expiration despite NBPA executive director David Kelly calling it a system that "decimate[s] teams" and forces "non-basketball decisions," with Silver defending it as a deliberately "NFL-like" parity tool.
- Seattle has the inside track over Las Vegas in NBA expansion, Silver said, noting Climate Pledge Arena could host games within five weeks while Las Vegas lacks a confirmed arena site, though renovating T-Mobile Arena remains a possibility.
Why it matters: The Clippers' five-pick forfeit and Ballmer's apology close the door on further relief, while the league signaled Portland's arena must be upgraded to keep the Trail Blazers and committed to an expansion decision by year's end — with Seattle ahead of Las Vegas because its arena is ready and Vegas still lacks a site.
Ask SkimNews
