The Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard are facing historic penalties after a year-long NBA investigation found the franchise guilty of salary cap circumvention through improper off-court payments and sham endorsement deals worth at least $46 million.
As a result, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed down one of the harshest punishments in league history. However, despite the league's ruling, some fans believe the Clippers could challenge the punishment in court.
The league fined the Clippers $30 million and stripped them of five first-round draft picks. Owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension, and Kawhi Leonard was given a $700,000 penalty. President of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension.
One Clippers fan on X suggested Ballmer can hire top attorneys and sue the NBA over the punishment. He noted that this is not the first time a team has tried to circumvent league rules. Addressing that scenario on The Zach Lowe Show , sports lawyer Michael McCann dismantled the idea that a court battle could reverse the historic punishments.
"This is an internal matter for the league. They could always sue," said McCann. "If you began the show by saying, 'Could they sue?' Sure. And they have plenty of money. You could always file a lawsuit. But suing and then having it dismissed because they've agreed to arbitrate would allow people to ridicule them further, to say, 'Look, they did it.'"
McCann cited the New England Patriots' 2015 "Deflategate" scandal as a prime example. Despite facing a $1 million fine and losing two draft picks, the Patriots opted not to sue the NFL, recognizing that the league's governing body holds ultimate authority.
"If the Clippers sue, the NBA will say this should be dismissed on the basis that they have contractually agreed to the NBA having final authority on this," McCan said. "There is no forum for them to bring their claim. The only forum would be within the confines of the NBA, and it's really hard to get around that argument."
"So what you're referring to is pretrial discovery. That's only going to happen if it gets past the motion to dismiss, and I see that being really hard. Now look, Ballmer could hire five huge law firms and pay them a gazillion dollars. They'll come up with something, but it's very telling that the Patriots didn't sue and other teams don't sue."
The former CEO of Microsoft certainly has the resources to pursue a lengthy legal challenge. However, McCann's argument centers on whether such a challenge would have any realistic path to success, given the NBA's authority over league matters.
While going to court is always an option, only time will tell if the Clippers decide to pursue that route.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
