Legal analysts say Clippers face slim odds of overturning NBA penalties
Experts note that the Los Angeles Clippers are unlikely to succeed in a lawsuit challenging NBA sanctions related to a salary-cap circumvention probe.
The Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer, who received a one-year suspension as part of the NBA’s penalties, may consider legal action to reverse the sanctions, but legal scholars say the chances of success are low. Michael McCann of Sportico explains that the league’s ruling cannot be appealed because the National Basketball Players Association and star forward Kawhi Leonard consented to the punishment. The NBA’s investigation concluded that the team orchestrated cap-circumvention by routing money to Leonard through at least four no-show endorsement agreements, violating article XIII of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
"The investigation is a witch hunt," said Ballmer’s attorney in a statement released by the team.
Courts typically defer to private-membership organizations like the NBA and intervene only when actions are arbitrary or capricious, according to McCann. Additional legal hurdles and the potential for further isolation of Ballmer and the franchise make a lawsuit even more precarious, he adds.