Steve Ballmer’s Clippers Threaten Legal Action After Adam Silver’s ‘Witch Hunt’ Slaps Major Fines

Now that Adam Silver has finally come through on the investigation into Steve Ballmer, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Kawhi Leonard, the focus shifts to the aftermath of it all.

To start with, the league found that its year-long probe proved that the franchise did use its owner’s proximity to Aspiration and other companies to help its leading superstar get endorsement deals under the table.

That was, in part, their way of compensating Leonard for choosing the Clippers over the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers. This came to light when investigative journalist Pablo Torre first published his findings.

The league ended up docking the team of its five future first-round picks, a $30 million fine, and suspending Steve Ballmer for a year. Additional suspensions for President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker.

Along with those punishments, the league will be monitoring the franchise for the next five years. So far, the organization have vehemently denied those allegations. Now, they took it a step further and went on the attack.

This investigation has been flawed from the outset… This type of witch hunt flies in the face of fundamental fairness and of the integrity of the league and of this sport that we all love. We are exploring every legal remedy to address this gross injustice.

Clippers statement read

The Clippers have sent the following letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver: pic.twitter.com/qWYx3gm3fN

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 2, 2026

Not only is the franchise suggesting that these punishments are a result of the league’s intention to set an example, but they also deny any of the allegations and will fight it in court. Steve Ballmer and his team have no choice but to go this route, considering the team’s competitiveness will be stifled for nearly a decade.

Steve Ballmer’s Clippers may not be able to mount an appeal or arbitration

Steve Ballmer and his Los Angeles Clippers will not face the brunt of these fines immediately, as their forfeited draft picks affect starting from the 2029 season. However, some ramifications could lead to other problems, such as when trying to lure free agents.

Every player in the league will now be wary of joining a team that does not have its own future picks and has been involved in the biggest scandal to date. To avoid hampering its proceedings, the franchise wants to explore all avenues to fight this punishment, but they only have one way.

The NBA’s rulings are final — there is no formal appeal or arbitration process available to the Clippers with the league. LA’s only outlet to fight the punishment is in court.

Shams Charania revealed on X

The NBA's rulings are final — there is no formal appeal or arbitration process available to the Clippers with the league. LA's only outlet to fight the punishment is in court. https://t.co/WkNXgWKSfm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2026

This means that the organization can only hope to find some relief if a court orders a stay on those fines until the legal tussle with Adam Silver’s NBA is over. Until then, it will be a task to make the team competitive enough amidst these problems.

Clippers paid for Kawhi Leonard and his family’s expenses

Whatever method Steve Ballmer and his Clippers use to fight against these harsh punishments, it may not be an easy battle considering what the NBA’s third-party investigator, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found.

They had time and resources to dig deeper into the team, its owner, its executives, and Kawhi Leonard. After a year-long deep dive, they came up with more damning evidence than what Pablo Torre could muster.

They found that the team had paid for Leonard and his family’s travel, accommodations, gifts, and game tickets. It is not uncommon for teams to do so. But as per the current CBA, those costs should be deducted from the player’s salary.

The team did nothing of that sort, indicating that they were perfectly fine with helping Kawhi Leonard’s expenses even though it was illegal to do so. Such actions may not help Steve Ballmer’s team if they go to trial.

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